


A Coward's Dilemma

by psychoticcheesecake



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Clubbing, Drinking, Drunk Tsukki, Drunk Yamaguchi, Gaming, Hangover, I Don't Even Know, Kissing, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Rimming, Smoking, Stupid decisions, Tags will be added, Tsukki's glasses/sports glasses, Yamaguchi's freckles, blowjob, i don't know i'm wrtining this as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:23:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychoticcheesecake/pseuds/psychoticcheesecake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima will always be a blunt and calculating person. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, will always be on Tsukishima's side no matter what.</p><p>But what happens when Tsukishima prefers the company of others? What will Yamaguchi do?</p><p>"...going to bars and drinking until the ugliest bitch around suddenly becomes your prince fucking charming!"</p><p>*this is my first time writing on this site and muster enough courage to actually write about this otp of mine that i am so utterly in love with so... PLEASE BE GENTLE*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Coward's Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukishima wanted to hear how thankful Yamaguchi is, see his teary eyes as he praised him like a deity; but he remembered the hickey that's on Yamaguchi's neck and that one fucking 'f' word that made him flinch. 
> 
> "Stop being pathetic." He said, his tone dropping to negative temperatues, enough to freeze Yamaguchi's coffee.
> 
> Yamaguchi felt like he was slapped in the face with a lawn mower but the feel of the pain was 30% to his face and the 70% drove straight to his heart. A lump started at the base of his throat, threatening him to vomit.

"Yamaguchi, wake up." Yamaguchi peered his eyes at the voice but immediately regretted his decision because the sudden burst of light hurt his eyes and a headache to welcome his morning.

"Mmmm." Yamaguchi whined and covered his head with his comforter while curling up in a fetal position.

"You have an 8:30 class, you moron." Yamaguchi's roommate pulled his comforter down sending cold air throughout his body. Yamaguchi shivered as goosebumps formed all over his arms and legs. "Get up." 

"Tsukki~" it was the second time Yamaguchi whined today and it wasn't even 'coffee time."

"Oh god. Are you hungover?" Yamaguchi slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the soft lights of the room. 

Standing at the foot of his bed was his roommate, Tsukishima Kei. His blonde hair cut short and curled at the end was wet from the shower. His glasses were folded- hanging on the neckline of his shirt- giving Yamaguchi the rare sight of Tsukishima's brown eyes. And those brown eyes were amused.

"No. I think I'm still drunk." Yamaguchi's throat was hoarse with all the things he drank last night. 

"Get your ass off the bed and get in the shower, Yamaguchi. That wasn't a request." Tsukishima was dead serious as he watched his roommate drag himself off the bed with groggy steps.

Yamaguchi forced himself to move, dragging his feet as he made his way to their shared bathroom. With his eyes slightly open and vision blurry, Yamaguchi was able to enter the bathroom without bumping into any furniture.

Once the door was closed, Tsukishima sighed and massaged his nose before unfolding his glasses and wore it. When he heard the sound of the shower, he went to Yamaguchi's dresser and rummaged through his clothes. He picked out Yamaguchi's boxer briefs from the drawer, a hoodie, and picked out some jogger pants from another drawer. He placed the clothes on Yamaguchi's unmade bed and went to his study table to grab a pen and a sticky note, before leaving the room.

While Tsukishima was busy preparing Yamaguchi's clothes, Yamaguchi encountered a problem whilst in the shower.

Yamaguchi was very much sure that he'll be going in the very depths of hell. He looked down and saw his painfully erect cock, the spray of cold water didn't do shit against the tingle of lust that pumped through his veins. He wanted to touch it, to relieve himself from the excruciating pressure that was his genitalia. But doing so would tear him up with guilt for the image that keeps on popping in his head is the image of Tsukishima without his glasses, Tsukishima picking his clothes for him. He felt precum drip down his skin and decided. 

'Fuck it!' He thought before grabbing his cock. He hissed as his warm hand grasped the over sensitive muscle and flesh. He pumped and pumped, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle a moan.  
"Oh I'm going straight to hell for this." He whispered to himself as he felt the building pleasure of his orgasm.

\-----

Yamaguchi panted as he made it in time for his econ class. He found his seat next to Tsukishima who was silently brooding. Yamaguchi was still hungover, his eyes sensitive to light as he pulled the hood over his head, every sound that he heard banged at his temples, and he could feel the acid from the alcohol he drank just burning at his stomach. He really needs something to eat.

He turned to look at Tsukishima but before he could say something, Tsukishima picked up a paper bag in his bag and placed it on Yamaguchi's table.

"That is the last time I'm ever going to buy you food." Tsukishima said, not even looking at Yamaguchi. He was so pissed at him for doing this all the time! He goes out, he drinks, he gets hammered, then he goes home drunk, and he'll take care of his sorry ass until he's sober. He's sick of it! He's sick of seeing his childhood friend get drunk and be in pain the morning after. He's sick of worrying about him everytime he gets a drunk call or text from him saying that he needs help or a ride home. Worst of all, he's sick of the bite marks, the kiss marks, and bruises that covered his body whenever he finds Yamaguchi. He was boiling with rage this morning as he saw a big-ass hickey at the base of his throat.  
'Next time, I'll give him a v-neck shirt.' He thought slyly as Yamaguchi's eyes practically twinkled when he opened the bag.

The sweet smell of coffee and the greasy smell of fries invaded Yamaguchi's senses. He looked up at Tsukki's profile and he saw the tilt of his lips. 'Ah,'he thought, 'this is the part where I inflate his ego.' 

"Tsukki, you're a god send! You are so amazing and such a caring friend! I don't know what I would do without you, Tsukki!" He said while devouring the fries and sipping his coffee despite the heat.

"Yeah. Try harder." Tsukishima's voice was sharp but his face was calm, one of the many talents of Tsukishima Kei that scares the shit out of Yamaguchi Tadashi.

"I-" Yamaguchi was about to praise the floor where Tsukishima sat on but was cut short by the entrance of their bespectacled econ professor.

"I hope you guys read the assignment chapter because we are going to discuss them." Takeda-sensei placed his book and laptop on his desk. "After a quiz of course. Bring out a paper and let's get cracking, shall we?"

An echo of 'no's , 'boo's, and incoherent noises were made by the students. While Tsukishima silently brought out a pad paper and a pen, Yamaguchi was silently panicking. He remembered Tsukishima's sticky note saying: 'Pick the right bag.' At first he didn't have any idea what the message meant but now, oh boy he knows now. He wasn't sure if he can remember things from the previous readings let alone the future ones; hell, Yamaguchi wasn't even sure he has a pen and paper!

Sensing Yamaguchi's panic, Tsukishima grabbed his notes, tore a piece of paper, slipped a pen between the pages, and slid it to Yamaguchi's table.

Tsukishima wanted to hear how thankful Yamaguchi is, see his teary eyes as he praised him like a deity; but he remembered the hickey that's on Yamaguchi's neck and that one fucking 'f' word that made him flinch. 

"Stop being pathetic." He said, his tone dropping to negative temperatures, enough to freeze Yamaguchi's coffee.

Yamaguchi felt like he was slapped in the face with a lawn mower but the feel of the pain was 30% to his face and the 70% drove straight to his heart. A lump started at the base of his throat, threatening him to vomit. 

"Yamaguchi!" Takeda-sensei called and made his way to Yamaguchi's desk. "Are you ok, Yamaguchi? You look pale."

Yamaguchi swallowed the imaginary lump in his throat. God, he hoped his breath doesn't smell like tequila. "I'm ok, Sensei. Just a bit sick but I can finish the quiz."

Sensei looked at the paperbag and was immediately worried. "Please tell me that's not your breakfast."

Yamaguchi looked up, guilt was evident in his brown eyes. "Uhm."

"Ok, here's what you're gonna do." He fished out a pink piece of paper and filled out the blanks with Tsukishima's pen. "You are going straight to the nurse's office with Tsukishima."

"What?" Tsukishima interjected but Takeda-sensei was not finished.

"He will accompany you there and when you're tucked in, Tsukushima will buy you a decent breakfast." Takeda-sensei placed a few bills on Tsukishima's desk. The look he gave him was the 'Don't ask questions.' kind. "While he's away, you will sleep like a baby. When you wake up, you eat your breakfast and you come by my office for the quiz. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sensei." Tsukishima and Yamaguchi replied.

\-----

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Morisuke Yaku sighed the moment he saw his friend, Yamaguchi, leaning on Tsukishima's shoulder.

"Hey there, Yaku." Yamaguchi said groggily.

"Don't 'hey there' me, you drunkard. You're hungover again, aren't you?" Yaku didn't even lower his voice because he knew what loud noises did to Yamaguchi.

"Yaku-san please, I think I'm gonna die if I don't lie down right now." And it was partially true. The trip to the nurse's office was like going through an obstacle course made of pain and terror. It took all of him not to pass out or puke or do both.

"And you," he stared at Tsukishima, "what are you doing here?"

"Takeda-sensei made me his errand boy." Tsukishima said nonchalantly.

"Oh, so you're his bitch then." Yaku smirked at him, not intimidated at the huge height difference. That was the thing with Yaku, he might be smaller than you but he can most definitely kick your ass like a seven footer with a club.

"Where should I place him." Tsukishima didn't bother to reply to Yaku's taunts because Yamaguchi was so close to passing out. 

"By the window." Yaku ordered, directing Tsukishima to the bed. He readjusted his hold on Yamaguchi's waist. He was concerned with the feel of his ribs against his hands that he decided he was going to buy the biggest breakfast that was available. He cursed himself at the constant worry he has for Yamaguchi.

Tsukishima carefully sat Yamaguchi down the bed. He went down on his knees to remove Yamaguchi's sneakers and placed them under the bed. Once he was done, he looked up and saw Yamaguchi staring at him with half lidded eyes. 

'Fuck!' He thought, fighting the urge to do something stupid. He instead reverted back to his sly, smirky self. "Was it on purpose that you acted sick? 'Cause let me tell you, it took me three hours to read and understand those readings and I don't think you can do that for the whole day."

Yamaguchi snapped out from his weird fantasies of seeing Tsukishima kneel down in front of him and pouted instead. It was days like these- when he's drunk and hungover- that he acted all stupid and brave in front of Tsukishima; and he could just blame the alcohol for it.

"Stop pouting and drink this." Yaku stood beside Tsukishima. He placed a glass of water and a small tablet on the nightstand next to Yamaguchi's bed. "That's for your headache. And you, get out. He needs to rest." He snapped his fingers at Tsukishima who stood up and exited the room, but not before placing his hands on Yamaguchi's knees and used them to prop himself up; but not before Tsukishima's fingers lingered a second too long on Yamaguchi's knees; but not before leaving Yamaguchi with a fast throbbing heart and a blush that could put most strawberries to shame.

"Stop blushing. Take your medicine. Lie down." It was three orders from Yaku that Yamaguchi obeyed wordlessly.

Once Yamaguchi was comfortable on the bed, Yaku started his sermon.

"You have got to stop doing this Yamaguchi! Drinking on weekdays, on school days, is not good for your body and your grades! How many times have I seen your face pale and sickly on this bed, huh? Do you even care? Tsukishima is always taking care of you, I'm always taking care of you, aren't you embarrassed that people are always taking care of your drunk sorry ass?" Yaku's voice was high in anger. He pulled at his hair in frustration, trying hard to control the venom in his voice bit just like Tsukishima, Yaku was sick of what Yamaguchi was doing to himself. "God dammit, Yamaguchi, I love you but this is just fucking stupid! So what if Tsukishima goes out with someone else, huh? That doesn't mean you resort to going to bars and drinking until the ugliest bitch around suddenly becomes your prince fucking charming!" Yaku was panting by the end of his sentence. He was so angry that the words that came out of his mouth was unfiltered and a hundred percent cruel. He wanted his friend's happiness but what he was doing was purely self-destructive that Yaku needed to step in, even if that meant hurting Yamaguchi's feelings.

"Don't you think I fucking know that?" Yamaguchi's voice was quiet, full of embarrassment and guilt. "Everytime he's out with that Mr. Purrfect, all I want to do is pull him close and just tell him but I can't."

"What, so you drink to have some courage in you? To tell him you love him?" Yaku barked out a cruel laugh. "Last time I checked, when you love someone you fucking tell them not fuck someone else." Yaku sat down, dipping the bed by Yamaguchi's head. He sighed, making his voice go out softer. "What happened? You used to be an interesting guy. A guy with actual interests and hobbies. Now, you're just the guy who follows Tsukishima around and gets drunk like it's Friday every single day." Yaku looked down at Yamaguchi, asking himself how can he help his friend.

"Ugh. Can you just leave me alone." Yamaguchi turned away from him and squeezed his eyes shut. Blocking the headache and the pain that the truth caused. 

"Ok." Yaku paused. Yamaguchi can practically hear the gears turning in Yaku's head. "But you will do something tonight." He said with finality, as if Yamaguchi would obey whatever he will order him. "You will go to the nearest game shop you can find and buy that game you've been following, and make a friend while you're at it." The tone of Yaku demanded a challenge and Yamaguchi innocently took the bait.

"Yeah right." Yamaguchi scoffed.

"Did I fucking stutter? You will do as I say-"

"Or what?" Yamaguchi turned just to smirk at Yaku. One elbow propped on his pillow, his head on his palm. Yamaguchi challenged Yaku for there was no way in hell that he can make Yamaguchi do something stupid like-

"Or I'll show your dear Tsukki a compromising video of you."   
Yamaguchi's head slid down his hand as he watched Yaku fish his phone off his pocket and tap the screen. All Yamaguchi can do is watch in horror as Yaku gave him an evil grin. 

"You're bluffing." Yamaguchi's confidence from earlier was crumbling. A nervous laugh came from him as he prayed to the gods that the video is a bluff. But the gods were not listening to Yamaguchi because when Yaku tapped the play button, Yamaguchi knew he was screwed.

"Ok ok ok!" Yamaguchi screamed despite the headache that banged at his head. His cheeks were burning red. "I get it!" He made no effort in grabbing the phone for Yaku was nimble and can slide away from him easily, sober or not. Yamaguchi slumped on the bed in defeat.

"That's a good boy." Yaku patted Yamaguchi's hair. "Now sleep, doctor's order." Yaku stood up and pulled the curtains close.

"You're not a doctor." He tried to exchange an angry banter but ended up pouting. He hated it when a person, other than Tsukishima, gets the last laugh. 

"Yet." Yaku corrected, "I'm not a doctor yet." Yamaguchi heard the retreating steps of the soon-to-be doctor.

When Yamaguchi heard the click of the door, he knew that it was safe to speak out loud. Because of his hangover, talking in his mind is a challenge.

"Ah Yamaguchi, you are so fucked." He lifted his arm to cover his eyes, not because of the blinding light but of something else. Covering his face was his go to position when he feels an attack or a wave coming.

'Stop being pathetic.' 

He hated to admit it but it was true. He knew he was pathetic ever since he was a child. He did nothing as he was shoved in the hallways and bullied at school. All he could do was take it and wait for it to stop, but that tiny voice in his head was hoping for someone to save him. And someone did. But after that, what did he do? 

He continued being pathetic by following around his savior, being his sidekick to all of Tsukishima's plans. He followed him, praised him, and later on, adored him. Yamaguchi was shocked at the sudden realization. It shook him to the core and broke his heart simultaneously.

He knew that the wise move would be to create a space between them. But without Tsukishima, Yamaguchi felt like his existence dwindled down, close to nothing. Instead of moving away, Yamaguchi stayed close. He ignored the pain of his unreturned feelings toward his friend. He ignored the snide remarks he received from people around them. He ignored the self-deprecating voice that screams at him whenever he mindlessly follows Tsukishima's whims. He ignored it all.

"You are so pathetic." Yamaguchi thought out loud as a single tear dripped down his cheek. One tear was followed by another and another and another until the sides of his pillow was soaked. Yamaguchi cried his way to sleep.


	2. A Coward's Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For him, beauty wasn't about the harsh lines of perfect geometry, it wasn't about the flawless surface of artificial perfection.For Tsukishima, beauty was for the nuances and the perfectly imperfect asymmetry, the effortless beauty of what people mistook as common.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm here it is... hope you enjoy! :D

Tsukishima hated doing tings out of order. He has a morning routine and follows it to the letter. he wakes up, eats his breakfast, brushes his teeth, take a bath, then go to school. This routine continued even after he and Yamaguchi became friends. The routine stayed strong despite the early morning practices of volleyball. The morning ritual helps him get ready for the day. It gives him the assurance that if he can control the first hours of his day, he can have a hold of the things that will happen the rest of the day. The comfort of knowing that he has control eases his mind despite the lingering thought that control is an illusion. He may have read that somewhere but it stuck to him like an annoying and gross gum at the bottom of his shoes.

But all of it changed dramatically when he entered college. The morning routine, his control on the first hours of the day, the comfort of control... everything.

Tsukishima could go on and on about the reasons why he can't follow his routine anymore but three reasons stood out:

1) College is hard.  
His required readings occupied a portion of his bed, his desk, the corner of their room, some even became a stand for their coffee maker and xbox. he wished to manage his time better just like in highschool where everything he did has a timeslot, completely in synch with his calendar. Because Tsukishima was a naive freshman in college, he though that five hours would be enough to read the required chapters and review his notes. Boy was he wrong. He found out that five ours was only enough to rewrite and review his notes, to read the chapters took him approximately three hours. Not to mention the assignments that kept him up all night, surprise quizzes that truly surprised him every single damn time, papers that suck the essence of his being leaving him a caffeinated zombie on crack after the deadline, and combine that with the boring lectures that he needs to sit through. Being a lawyer had better be awesome because if not-well hello retail.

2) His childhood friend Yamaguchi. It was always Yamaguchi.  
Ever since they started university, yamaguchi has become a bundle of contradictions. He studies his notes and participates in class but he gets average grades. He's incredibly shy when it comes in voicing his own opinions and standing out in a crowd but a fire is lit in his eyes when he defends Tsukishima from the snide remarks that people whisper whenever they walk by. He works part-time for his allowance but spends it all on alcohol and fastfood. He hates hangovers but still drinks until the last call was announced. Tsukishima was terribly worried about the increasing contradictions that was his friend. Tsukishima thought he got yamaguchi all figured out.

3) He found out he was bi. Now this was one of the minor reasons why his morning routine was all messed up, but it's one of the main reasons why he can't manage his time right. It came to him as a surprise one day when they were training in one of the volleyball camps that he and his team attended. As usual, he was awed by how beautiful their manager was, and how cute their new manager squeaked when she saw them strip in front of er for the first time. Shimizu-senpai with her curves, sharp eyes, and long black hair gave a person the impression of modesty backed with a fierce glare that made her achingly sexy. Hitoka, on the other hand, with her small and petite body urges any male or female to protect her, combine that with her doe eyed stare and bright smile, most people would do anything to make her happy. She was too cute. However, being surrounded by guys all day desensitized Tsukishima from any lewd fantasies regarding the male species. All was going well until he and Yamaguchi decided to stretch on their own while the others were goofing around with the leftover food from the feast yesterday. They started off with back and arm stretches, and when Yamaguchi asked for his help in one of the leg stretches he felt something that sook him to his core. He felt himself getting excited as the site of Yamaguchi outstretched under him. It made his heart pound and his lower pants unbearably tight that he needed to excuse himself from practice. Ever since that day, everytime he sees his childhood friend's body, he shivers all over.

Being bisexual is no big deal in this day and age, and Tsukishima knows that; hell, one of his senpais is bi and he's doing good both in his relationship(s) and his studies. However, being bi gave him the curiosity of a well educated and naive cat. You may think that out of the three reasons, two-his studies and Yamaguchi-outweigh his choice of sexuality. But the thing is, these three reasons were all connected. The academic pressure that pushes him to near madness, and the unpredictability of Yamaguchi was enough to give him stress that may even cause his death one day. Yamaguchi was one of the few stable things in this stage of his life, and to see him spiral into an unknown place scared him senseless. Instead of pouring all of his time and effort in passing all of his classes, he worries if Yamaguchi was eating three times a day or if he's in some stranger's bed doing god knows what. It frustrates Tsukishima because he can't concentrate on the things that he need to do, like sleep for more than two hours a day for example. Because of this overwhelming feeling, he searches for someone to relieve the stress that has been building up, and he doesn't give a damn if that person was a boy or a girl. It's quite easy to have a partner when you're as good looking as Tsukishima Kei; however, the problem with having male and female companions is that they differ in the morning after. Some girls prefer to stay and cuddle, some boys stayed and made themselves comfortable, some demanded to eat breakfast. The list goes on and on, and Tsukishima has no time to entertain fuck buddies. Every morning, he ends up getting up early to either take care of a drunk Yamaguchi or read his notes, breakfast was forgotten most of the time and he's lucky to even have a slice of bread in the morning.

This day's morning was no different. It was almost two in the morning when he snuck in their university premises, dodging the guard's flashlights and climbing the tree close to their room. When he landed on their carpeted floor, it took him a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. The only illumination was the moonlight and it gave him a perfect view of the two empty beds. As usual, Yamaguchi was out again. He fished his phone out of his skinny jeans and checked for any messages. He clicked his tongue when he saw text messages from Hinata saying that Yamaguchi was in the club with him and that he'll make sure that Yamaguchi won't be in trouble. He threw his phone at his bed out of frustration and kicked the bed frame because throwing something on a soft surface was anticlimactic. With the looming thoughts of Yamaguchi with some guy or girl grinding against his friend, Tsukishima made a beeline towards their shared bathroom. He hastily pulled his shirt over his head and threw it on the floor along with his jeans and underwear, discarding the scent of the fuck for the night, and turn on the shower. The cold water did nothing against what Tsukishima was feeling, that feeling was suspiciously close to jealousy but Tsukishima decided that it was some weird after effects of an orgasm and chose to sleep it off. He hated being unsure.

The next morning, he knew that Yamaguchi would be all over the place. He did the usual things to a hungover Yamaguchi, wake im up, push him to take a shower, pick his clothes and buy him food. But because of the swollen skin at the base of his throat, he decided that Yamaguchi deserves a punishment, that's why he only bought fries and coffee. Tsukishima, however, made a slight miscalculation. Yamaguchi was too weak to handle his hangover today. So here he is, walking towards his car to go to the city and buy his hungover friend breakfast.

\-----

"Kei, you do know that we do not open 'til ten, right?" His brother said as he opened the door for him.

"I know but this is the only place where I can get free food." Tsukishima smirked at his brother who just sighed. "What, you don't want me calling mom and dad and say that my big brother refuses to feed me, do you?" He knew that this tactic was overused and does not have the bite of a threat the same as before but it always worked. "huh, not to mention tat I drove fifteen minutes just to get here."

"Ok, first of all, you have the friends and family discount. I do not give free food. Second, please don't call mom and dad, they give me so much crap about taking care of you these days." His big brother, Akiteru-a sandy blonde guy who was a few inches shorter but broader than him, raised both hands in mock defeat.Then Akiteru had a thought, Tsukishima could practically see it turn on by the way his brother smiled at him. "Wait a second, why are you here? Don't you have a class or something?" He didn't let Tsukishima answer, "Tsukishima Kei, are you skipping classes?" A devious smile was plastered on his face, Akiteru had the upper hand on this one. He placed a hand on his chest and gasped, "To think that our Kei would skip classes. The horror. The disgrace. Wait 'til mom and dad hears about this." Akiteru was cocky now.

"Wait, what was that?" He tilted his head to the side as if someone was calling his name. Tsukishima placed a hand on his chest and gave an exaggerated gasp, copying his brother's actions. "Are you telling me that my brother, Tsukishima Akiteru, spent ten grand on a week long cruise for him and his girlfriend for their first anniversary? Oh my, and they broke up when the trip ended? What- and our parents don't know about this? Oh the horror! The disgrace!" Akiteru was speechless.

Tsukishima has a habit of digging into people's thoughts and secrets, and he does it with the subtlety of a spider. He lays on a web of stories, stories that may seem random but are vastly interconnected. Then, when one of the webs are triggered, Tsukishima swoops in for the kill. Finding out about his brother's secret was easy because no matter what happens, Tsukishima Akiteru was a terrible liar. Tsukishima smiled triumphantly as he made his way to the bar, his brother on the other side of the counter. "I would like the biggest breakfast meal you have, please." Tsukishima grinned at his brother's sagging shoulders as he made his way to the kitchen.

Tsukishima noticed the lack of personnel helping or cleaning the place. But in all honesty, his brother's restaurant was the best in the city- even Yelp gave the Rare After Dark rave reviews- that even if a few of the staff don't show up for a day, the restaurant would still be working like a well oiled machine. Why would the people say negative things about the restaurant when it looks like it was made to serve royalty, with the massive jeweled chandelier that twinkled against the lights, the round tables that demanded intimacy, the scent of fresh roses wafting through the air, and the heavenly tasting food that enchants the customers to come back for more. Tsukishima was not biased in anyway when he decided that Rare After Dark was the best in the city, and that's why he decided to go there to grab some breakfast for a hungover Yamaguchi.

"This is a five star restaurant, Kei, we do not do breakfast. Why don't you go in one of the diners, there are some a few blocks away." He reasoned out but Tsukishima was already hearing the hiss of butter meeting a hot pan.

"Diner food is a no go for breakfast when the chef of Rare After Dark can do it for free."

Akiteru's head popped out on the side of the kitchen door. "Friends and family discount!"

"Yeah yeah." Tsukishima checked his phone for the time and winced when he saw that it was 9:30 already. He decided to skip Takeda-sensei's class and do the quiz together with Yamaguchi when he's feeling better.

The scent of pancakes and bacon invaded his senses, and Tsukishima was salivating. He remembered that he didn't have his breakfast yet, and he blamed all of his three reasons for it. It wasn't long when Akiteru emerged from the kitchen holding a to go bag with pancakes and bacon in it. And it was on that very moment that Tsukishima's stomach began the whaling call of his people.

Blood rushed to his face and ears. He can feel his cheeks go warmer as he heard the quiet laughter of his brother. Then, Akiteru surprised him when he slid a muffin in front of Tsukishima. Tsukishima looked up and saw his brother's warm smile. "I knew you haven't had breakfast yet, Kei, I'm not stupid." Akiteru placed the to go bag on the counter and watched his brother devour the leftover blueberry muffin they had last night. "So what did Yamaguchi did this time?"

Tsukishima swallowed, eyes not meeting his brother's eyes. That was enough of an answer for Akiteru.

"I know this breakfast is not for you; because if it did, you would've corrected me when I placed the food in to go containers. Or eat the meal in front of me, but you didn't. It's Yamaguchi again isn't it. He's hungover again, isn't he." Worry was etched on Akiteru's face as he tried to catch his brother's eye.

"Where's your bartender? He's usually here by this time." Tsukishima tried to change the topic and Akiteru was kind enough to let the issue slide. Since the day Yamaguchi became friends with Tsukishima, Akiteru treated him like he was his own brother. So when news broke out that Yamaguchi started partying and getting wasted, he was worried. He even tried his best to keep the news of Yamaguchi's antics exclusively in the vicinity of his area, never reaching the ears of Yamaguchi's parents.

"Yeah, he asked for a day-off. He said that he wasn't feeling well. Oh well, never mind, Kuroo is a hardworking young man after all, even for a part timer."

'After last night, I bet he's sore all over.' Tsukishima thought.

\-----

"Oh, sorry." Yaku was halfway out the door when he almost collided with a 188.3 cm tall Tsukishima.

"Watch it!" Tsukishima looked down and glared at the student assistant.

"It's you." Yaku was going to comment about his insanely long trip to grab breakfast but decided to let it slide. There were far more important things to be done at the moment.

"Sugawara will come over later to take over my shift. For the meantime, watch over Yamaguchi." Yaku used that tone on Tsukishima, that 'no questions asked' tone that pissed Tsukishima off because he uses it to manipulate people.

"Where are you going? Isn't it irresponsible of you to lay this responsibility on just a student?" Tsukishima strategically blocked Yaku's exit. "Technically, Yamaguchi is your patient, and you're gonna leave him?" He crossed his arms on his chest and looked smug while staring down at Yaku. "Is that what doctors do?"

"Get out of my way before I kick your lanky sorry ass." Yaku gritted his teeth in frustration when Tsukishima did not move even an inch. "Listen to me, Tsukishima." Yaku reached up and grabbed Tsukishima by the collar and pulled down until they were eye to eye. "If that Dragonair gets away from me because you won't get the fuck out of my way, I will make it my life's mission to end your pitiful existence in god's green earth. Do you understand?" Yaku didn't even wait for Tsukishima's reply because he slid his way through the gap on Tsukishima's left side when he saw the chance. "Plus, you get to see Yamaguchi sleeping. That's worth something, right? Take it easy, you pervert." Yaku winked at a red faced Tsukishima and ran the hallways with his eyes on his phone like a madman.

Tsukishima carefully slid the door close before making his way towards Yamaguchi's bed. He pushed the curtains open and was greeted with a sweaty, tank top wearing Yamaguchi. A drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead to his jaw and Tsukishima allowed himself to swipe it away with his finger before it went lower.Tsukishima checked the time on his phone, it was 10:30. He looked outside the window and saw that it wasn't that hot outside. Then why was Yamaguchi sweating this much? Why was his skin hot to the touch?

It was only then that Tsukishima noticed the sticky note on the nightstand with the distinct handwriting of Yaku.

 

'slight fever. wipe his sweat ;) 

breakfast when he wakes 

take this medicine.'

 

There was an arrow drawn that pointed to a small, round pill and a glass of water, beside the glass was a clean towel. Tsukishima remembered Yaku's words: 'Plus, you get to see Yamaguchi sleeping. That's worth something, right? Take it easy, you pervert.' He picked up the towel and swallowed the hypothetical lump in his throat. He was debating with himself on whether to do this out of sheer responsibility or out of pure selfishness. To wipe or not to wipe, that is the question.

Yamaguchi made a sound that broke his train of thought and Tsukishima regretted it when he looked down.  

He had to suck a breath to suppress a noise deep down his throat, for he hated and loved the tank top simultaneously. He despised the low cut of the neck, revealing the swollen skin that reminded Tsukishima where Yamaguchi was the night before. It reminded him of why Yamaguchi was here in the first place. But all of his loathsome thoughts were brushed away when his eyes went lower on Yamaguchi's body. He loved the way the thin, white fabric clung to Yamaguchi like a second skin. It accentuated his toned and lean body, their years of volleyball was enough to transform his friend's body and he was very pleased at the results. Every breath Yamaguchi took, the fabric stretched, giving Tsukishima a sight of Yamaguchi's chest, and the smooth curve of his stomach. Yamaguchi shifted in his sleep and his tank top lifted a couple of inches. The sliver of freckles on a tan skin was enough to bombard Tsukishima with fantasies involving Yamaguchi's skin. He was quite aware of the scattered freckles all over Yamaguchi's body like stars on a night sky. Some were on his face, on his ears, and they flowed down his neck and form like a gradient of freckles on his arms. When they were changing uniforms in their clubroom, he caught a glimpse of Yamaguchi's torso. He saw that his freckles feathered out on his chest and down his stomach. And now, for him to see more of those freckles on Yamaguchi's lower abdomen, he wondered if there were more stars for him to discover.

Tsukishima's hands were itching to pull Yamaguchi's pants lower to find out whether there were more freckle stained skin for him to see, but fought the urge to do so. What kind of friend would he be if he takes advantage of someone so defenseless and vulnerable? Instead of raking his eyes all over Yamaguchi's body, he pulled a chair near the bed beside him and sat next to Yamaguchi's side. Yamaguchi was breathing hard in his sleep and sweat trickled down his forehead and neck. Tsukishima's hand automatically wiped the small pool of sweat that gathered on his neck and chest. He also wiped his forehead for good measure. Tsukishima made sure that only the towel made contact with Yamaguchi's feverish skin. He was afraid of what's gonna happen if his skin touches his. After wiping his arms and chest, Tsukishima settled down on his chair and placed the to go breakfast on the nightstand. The stretch of silence lulled Tsukishima to relax and watch the deep and heavy breathing of Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi was never really a show stopper in the looks department, he knows it, Tsukishima knows it, most of the people know it. According to the shallow beauty standards of most people, the attractive ones were those who have perfectly sculpted jaw that could cut marble, a straight nose like a Westerner, deep-set eyes that could stare at your soul, carefully styled hair that looked like they didn't used any product at all, and smooth fair skin. Tsukishima thought they were stupid in thinking that, because those people probably wore blinders when describing the concept of beauty. For him, beauty wasn't about the harsh lines of perfect geometry, it wasn't about the flawless surface of artificial perfection. For Tsukishima, beauty was for the nuances and the perfectly imperfect asymmetry, the effortless beauty of what people mistook as common. For him, Yamaguchi was beautiful in every sense of the word. The way he always smiled crookedly even though it was a genuine smile. The way he snorts when he laughs. The look of determination in those dark brown eyes when he served in their volleyball matches. The way his hair disobeyed the laws of physics and gravity. The way the freckles on his face turn darker when he's shy or flustered. Tsukishima found everything about his friend beautiful, beauty standards be damned.

"Tsukki..." It was almost a whisper but Tsukishima heard it. Yamaguchi mumbled his name and Tsukishima wasn't sure what to do. Yamaguchi turned over, his flushed face facing Tsukishima. Some of Yamaguchi's hair fell on his face and his mouth was slightly open for deep inhales.

Tsukishima leaned forward, ignoring the red flags and blaring alarms in his head. He rested his head on his arms, so close to Yamaguchi's face that he can feel his warm breath. "What are you doing to me?" He whispered. Without hesitation, he tucked the locks of hair covering Yamaguchi's face. He let his fingers linger on Yamaguchi's cheek. With tingling fingers, he gingerly traced the freckles on Yamaguchi's ear down his throat and his shoulderblades, connecting each freckle with another.

"Mmm..." Yamaguchi hummed as Tsukishima's fingers lazily traced patterns on his skin. When Tsukishima's fingers climbed back up his neck, Tsukishima was certain he felt Yamaguchi shiver. "Tsukki." He whispered again, now a little bit breathless.

Tsukishima wasn't sure what to feel. He knew that the flush on his cheeks were not from the heat, and the excitement he felt when Yamaguchi says his name like that was not one of the normal reactions a friend should feel or react towards another friend. And he also knew that the disgust he feels when he hears the word 'friend' is not an involuntary reaction-he checked it with his brother and Akiteru just laughed at him like he was stupid. But he wasn't stupid to not know the feeling of arousal when someone turns you on. He knows the feeling very well. Then why was he hesitating? Tsukishima Kei was a person who was always sure of himself. He goes for what he wants and does his hardest to get it. So when moments of uncertainty present itself, he throws all forms caution out the proverbial window and depend on his instincts. And his instincts tell him to go for it.

Without hesitation, he placed his thumb on Yamaguchi's lips. He relished on the feeling of soft flesh and the quickening of Yamaguchi's breathing.

He wanted to bite those lips.

He wanted those lips on his.

He wanted those lips on his body.

He wanted to lick.

To bite..

To taste...

Tsukishima knew that he had a muffin for breakfast but boy was he hungry for more.    

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaand done... whew! Hope you guys liked chapter 2.  
> As always, kudos and comments are highly appreciated (and treasured)!  
> P.S. these chapters are 100% unedited so pardon the errors :D
> 
> Excelsior!


	3. A Coward's Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who's Kenma?" 
> 
> "What?" Yamaguchi was still fuzzy because of the shower and the steady motions of Tsukishima's hands on his head.
> 
> "Someone called and I answered." Tsukishima stopped massaging Yamaguchi's head and that was the sign that he was finished. Yamaguchi stood up with unsteady feet and faced Tsukishima while still in between his knees. With Yamaguchi standing up and Tsukishima sitting on his bed, it was one of those rare occassions where Yamaguchi gets to lean down to look at his six foot two friend in the eyes. Yamaguchi staggered, leaning forward and placing both of his hands on Tsukishima's broad shoulders to gain a sense of balance. He was always sleepy after a hot shower and Tsukishima knows this. Tsukishima's hands found their way to Yamaguchi's hips to steady him.
> 
> "Who's Kenma?" Tsukishima's face was a blank slate but his voice was as cold as the night breeze, and that was enough to catch Yamaguchi's attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched a video from buzzfeed about people getting freckles tattooed on their face and i remember smol bean Yams and this chapter that hasn't been uploaded yet. Anyway, here's chapter 3! I hope you guys like it :D
> 
> Edit: i didn't fucking saved my progress cause i'm typing this on my ipad cause my laptop is getting repaired so it isn't as poetic(?) as the first one... AAAARRRRGGGGSSSHHHHH!!!

Yamaguchi felt hot. He felt sticky with sweat. The sheets clung to his skin and are tangled on his legs. His first thought was that he was still in someone else's bed, but then he remembered his hangover.

'Right,' he thought, 'I'm in the infirmary.' That gave him the courage to open his eyes.

He was surprised to see Tsukishima's face so close to his that he forgot to breathe. Tsukishima was sleeping with his head on his arms on Yamaguchi's pillow. Yamaguchi slowly breathed in and out of his nose to compose himself and not wake the rare creature that was a sleeping Tsukishima.

'You need sleep more than I do, Tsukki.' He thought as he carefully removed Tsukishima's glasses.

"Mmm..." Tsukishima shifted his head towards Yamaguchi's touch and Yamaguchi almost dropped Tsukishima's glasses.

Now that the glasses were out of the way, he could clearly see Tsukishima's face up close. He admits that what he is doing is borderline pervy but he can't help it. The sun was hitting Tsukishima's features, hitting the right spots and softening them out. The sunlight against Tsukishima's hair made his golden locks look like a halo above his head. Yamaguchi shook his head to think for a better description for Tsukishima's hair because they weren't just blonde, or golden; they were the early rays of the sun, they were the color of amber gold, they were the color of fields of wheat... And they were sinfully soft to the touch. Yamaguchi gently stroked Tsukishima's hair and was gifted by a sigh from the sleeping boy. He continued doing so, fingers spreading and combing through soft locks of hair. He relishes the feeling of combing his friend's hair with his fingers, almost forgetting the fact that he was blushing to his ears. Why wouldn't he? He's been pining over this boy for years and years, and moments like these only prove that he is indeed attracted to his friend. Yamaguchi stopped combing through Tsukishima's hair before he got addicted to the feeling of those locks between his fingers-or the dirty fantasy of him pulling at those locks-and let his fingers trail Tsukishima's jaw. Yamaguchi focused on something else instead. He focused on Tsukishima's relaxed features: the clean cut lines of his nose, jaw, and eyebrows; the way his mouth slacks slightly open when he's at peace; the steady rhythm of his breathing; and everything was only for him to see. Most people would look at his Tsukki and see a tall and intimidating guy, but little did they know that he loves sweets and cried when dozens of rockets hit Godzilla.

Without Tsukishima's glasses, Yamaguchi was able to see the bags under his eyes. They were dark and deep, and Yamaguchi wanted to wipe those bags away from Tsukishima's face not because they weren't pleasing to the eyes, but because they were a product of sleepless nights that weakened his strong Tsukki. Yamaguchi traced them, his flesh just skimming the surface of Tsukishima's skin. His finger played with Tsukishima's blonde eyelashes, eyelashes that were so long that it reached those pesky eye bags. Out of nowhere, an overwhelming wave of guilt racked Yamaguchi's thoughts that his fingers began to shake and grow cold, his nerve endings seemed to stop working as he felt the top of his head tingle and go cold. He suddenly felt lightheaded.

'Oh no. Please don't.' He begged his own body to obey him, he begged and begged his body not to betray him. But a twinge of worry came over Yamaguchi's features when his fingers traced Tsukishima's closed eyelids. Yamaguchi realized that his hell week ended just a few days ago-that's why he had the guts to go out and drink last night-but Tsukishima's hell week started just two days ago and Yamaguchi could clearly see the effects of it. His heart beat loud against his chest, rocking his body in the bed. His heart was beating loud in his ears that he can almost hear his blood pumping in and out of his vascular organ. His whole body started to go cold, he hated this part, oh god he despised this part. Here it comes-

Tsukishima's eyes cracked open, dark caramel orbs unblinkingly stared at Yamaguchi's hand then to his face.

Yamaguchi felt like he crashlanded on earth. He felt grounded on the spot. He felt like he weighed a kiloton. And that felt oh so good.

Yamaguchi returned Tsukishima's blatant stare. Finally, he felt like he was being gravitated back to earth and to back to his bed. He stared and he stared until the only thing that he can see in his eyes were his reflection staring back at him. The cold he felt moments ago was melted away as he was engulfed in Tsukishima's eyes. He knew that Tsukishima's stare could swallow him whole, leaving him a stuttering mess, but he didn't care. He allowed himself to be swallowed, devoured, and ravaged. Yamaguchi could feel himself relax, tension leaving his shoulders. It was only then that the roaring in his ears subsided. It was only then that Yamaguchi sighed in relief. It was only then that he was able to breathe.

Tsukishima blinked at him and Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima's eyelashes brush his finger. Yamaguchi remembered that his hand was still on Tsukishima's face, so he made an effort to slowly retract his hand away to not let Tsukishima know that it was there in the first  place. But Tsukishima was having none of it.

Tsukishima caught his hand, his thumb on Yamaguchi's palm and long fingers grazed his knuckles. Tsukishima's hold on his hand was devilishly soft and loose, loose enough for Yamaguchi to snatch his hand back if he wanted to. But he didn't want to. Instead of pulling his hand away, he let Tsukishima tighten his grip on his hand and shifted it so his palm cradled Tsukishima's jaw.

For the second time today, his heart was restless. He felt the heat on his cheeks and ears, for he was sure he was beet red. He tried to say something but his throat was dry and his mind in a disarray. But what was he going to say when his ability to speak magically returned?

Stop?

Keep going?

I think I like you?

He knew that words always failed him, words and coherent sentences were Tsukishima's thing. His thing was a jamble of words carefully stitched together and mumbled in response. So instead of saying anything, he did something instead.

Yamaguchi's thumb bravely caressed Tsukishima's cheek, his thumb tracing circles and moving dangerously closer to Tsukishima's thin lips.

Yamaguchi was not sure if what he felt was real or just a figment of his overactive imagination, for he thought Tsukishima-the tall, blunt, self-calculating guy that he is- groaned. Imagination or not, Yamaguchi inched his thumb closer until he touched the corner of his lips.

Yamaguchi was busy blushing and placing all of his efforts in not melting on the infirmary bed that he didn't notice Tsukishima's hum of agreement. 

Yamaguchi's eyes widen in surprise when Tsukishima directed his hand towards his mouth, his thumb skimming Tsukishima's bottom lip in the process. Yamaguchi felt his heart skip a beat then beat faster and faster, like turning off an engine then restarting it with your foot pressing hard on the gas pedal. Tsukishima's tongue darted out and licked Yamaguchi's thumb before nipping at the flesh. Yamaguchi gasped at the sensation of Tsukishima's hot breath on his finger and the slick touch of his tongue. Yamaguchi flushed an embarrassing shade of red when his eyes traveled up toward's Tsukishima's heated gaze.

'What the shit!' He thought. Yamaguchi was always careful around Tsukishima. He made sure to always keep his actions, words, and thoughts in check everytime they were together. Yamaguchi felt like he was crossing a tight rope everytime he was with Tsukishima and so far he kept his balance, but times like this tested his resolve because damn everything if it didn't make his heart race in joy. His subconsciousness thought otherwise and the things that he was saying were acceptable points that needed consideration because thay were facts and theories that have a high probability of coming true. The fact is, Tsukishima is his friend-the only friend that he truly cares about-and him having volatile feelings for him, feelings that tread that line between friendship and romantic feelings, that may end their friendship send waves of panic through Yamaguchi that may as well shatter the vault that kept deep seated feelings and insecurities locked everytime his heart flutters for his friend.

Tsukishima's stare was intense. His eyes darkened and Yamaguchi would not admit to himself that the burnt amber eyes that were boring holes into his soul were dilated and screamed of want. He knew that his Tsukki wanted to do more, that the want that filled those unblinking golden orbs were one and the same with what he was deprived for years and years. He knew that Tsukishima was hungry for this, but Yamaguchi has been famished for a longer time.

Tsukishima released Yamaguchi's thumb and proceeded to kiss his fingers, lips carressing long calloused fingers. Yamaguchi's freckles were stark against his blush and all Tsukishima could think of was how cute that blush suited him. 

"Ah, Yamaguchi-kun, you're back again!" 

Like magic, Tsukishima's heated stare was wiped off his eyes in just a few blinks and snatched his hand away from Yamaguchis's like it burned him. 

Yamaguchi wasn't really sure what to feel. He felt relieved that his heart beat at a normal pace and that he could breathe again. He felt furious at the fucker who ended their intimate moment. But worst of all he felt gutted because it seemed like the moment they shared-the tingling he felt on his fingers caused by Tsukishima's soft lips- disgusted Tsukishima to the point where he needed to jerk his arm back like he was electrocuted. The jumble of emotions were too many for it to register on his face and on his mind so Yamaguchi just blinked and blinked until he regained composure, enough to not glare at the silver haired third year that was pleasantly smiling at him like he didn't just ruin a rare moment between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.

\-----

"Ugh, even though I read the chapters, I'm pretty sure I failed that quiz." Yamaguchi said as he adjusted the strap of his bag.

"Told you it wouldn't be enough." Tsukishima replied, looking at his phone while walking along side Yamaguchi. They were near the soccer field of their school and were on their way to their dorms

Yamaguchi may not be good at many things but little do people know that he has a Doctorate in hiding-his-feelings and Majored in pretending-like-nothing-happened in the prestigious Pining Over Your Bestfriend Academy. He put this talent of his to use after he was well enough to stand and take the quiz with Tsukishima. 

"I know but I thought having your notes and your paper would rub off some of your knowledge on me, you know."

Tsukishima gave a silent laugh at Yamaguchi while scrolling at his phone.

"Yamaguchi!" A small body jumped on Yamaguchi's back, its weight almost toppling him to the ground. Yamaguchi's hands automatically hooked his arms on the legs that were at his waist. "Look at my Dragonair!" A phone was suddenly near his nose that he went crosseyed for a bit.

"He can't see it properly, Yaku-san." Tsukishima said, eyes still on his phone and continued walking.

"Oh," Yaku moved his phone away from Yamaguchi's nose. "Now, can you see my Dragonair? Isn't he a majestic son of a bitch?" 

Yamaguchi could hear the pride in his senpai's voice and laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yes, it is a majestic mofo, Yaku-san." Yamaguchi adjusted his arms so that Yaku won't fall off him. "Where did you get it?"

"Well Le- I mean someone told me that it spawned on the roof a while ago." 

Yamaguchi caught Yaku's slip of the tongue and decided not to pry.

"Good, he's gone." Yaku's cheery tone was suddenly serious. "Let me down."

"Uhm ok." Yamaguchi bent down and unhooked his arms on Yaku's legs. When Yaku was off his back and was in front of him, Yamaguchi asked, "What did I do now?"

"Nothing. I just want to remind you of your mission tonight, do you remember?" Yaku's was grinning at Yamaguchi.

"I remember." He rolled his eyes at Yaku and regretted being friends with the third year. "I'm gonna go to a game shop, buy a stupid game, and make a friend." 

"Good boy, Yamaguchi." Yaku reached up and patted Yamaguchi's cow lick of a hair. "Now go, don't want to keep the love of your life waiting." Yaku pinched his side and winked at him before running off. Oh how he regretted thinking that befriending an upperclassman was a good thing.

\-----

When Yamaguchi opened the door, a bell signaled his presence. 

'Good thing the music's loud.' He thought as he made his way to the game section of the store. 

The shop was a popular one for it was big and caters to every one's needs, entertainment wise. They sell movies, anime dvds, albums, comic books, books, action figures... Everything. It was a nerd's paradise and Yamaguchi was in the thick of it. There were aisles and aisles of games and books that he wasn't sure where to find what he was looking for. It was a Thursday night in the city and he was thankful that people decided to stay at home because the store wasn't jam packed at this hour. He went to the counter to ask for assistance and was greeted with a friendly face.

"Yamaguchi! Long time no see!" Hinata greeted him with a smile, his fluffy orange hair was covered with the shop's signature hat and was wearing the shop's red shirt.

"Hinata, we had econ together, remember?" Yamaguchi smiled. Hinata was one of his friends that he likes spending time with for the boy was easy to understand and had tons of energy to spare.

"Yeah but you were excused and were in the infirmary for the whole day so I haven't seen you at school. By the way, are you feeling ok now?"

"Yup. Yaku-san made me take medicines and stuff." Yamaguchi shrugged.

"Hinata, go tend to the customer, you dumbass." A black haired guy, taller than Hinata flicked Hinata's head. "I'm sorry, sir, he's new so he's not used to doing his job." The black haired guy had dark slanted eyes and pursed lips, and when he tried to smile it looked like he was going to murder Yamaguchi with a machete.

"He's a friend, you idiot!" Hinata elbowed the black haired guy. "Honestly, Kageyama, I'm not dumb. You know, this isn't my first job." He sighed and turned his attention to Yamaguchi. "So whaddaya need, sir." Hinata gave Yamaguchi a toothy grin ang Kageyama simply clicked his tongue at him.

"Remember that game I used to play, that rpg game? Do you guys have a stock of it?" 

"You gotta be more specific, man. There are a lot of rpg games today and need I remind you that you haven't been playing games for a while now."

"I know, but I can't remember the name of the game." Yamaguchi tapped his chin.

"What console are you playing in?" Kageyama asked Yamaguchi. 

'Thank god he's no longer smiling.' He muttered to himself. Yamaguchi wasn't good at meeting new people so he looked at Hinata for help.

"He has a DS and his roommate has an xbox one, right?" Hinata went to the side of the counter and was standing on Yamaguchi's side. 

"Ok, that narrows it down to two aisles." Kageyama went to the computer at the counter and typed at the search bar. "Uhm, rpg games for the DS is on aisle four and for the xbox one is on... Ah, aisle two."

The bell on the door rang and Yamaguchi flinched instinctively. 

"Cmon, Yamaguchi, on to aisle two!" Hinata hooked his arm on Yamaguchi's elbow and marched his way to aisle two.

"Where do you think you're going, you idiot. There's a new customer over there. Go assist them!" Kageyama glared at Hinata.

"Why don't you go and assist instead of manning the register, your majesty." Hinata tightened his arm on Yamaguchi's elbow. "Can't you see Me assisting a customer?"

Yamaguchi felt like he was watching a tennis game, his eyes followed back and forth at the two exchanging banter after banter. It was only then, when Kageyama took a hold of the top of Hinata's head and gripped it hard, that Yamaguchi realized that they were fighting over something so stupid that he couldn't fight the snicker escaping his mouth.

"That's ok, Hinata, I can read signs you know." He extracted his arm from Hinata's hold and smiled at him. "I promise if I can't find it I'll ask for your help."

He didn't wait for Hinata's reply for Kageyama still had a death grip on Hinata's head and Hinata doesn't notice. Yamaguchi was trying so hard not to laugh at them.

Yamaguchi looked up to read the sign before turning on his left for aisle two. There were rows upon rows of games that Yamaguchi felt a little overwhelmed. As he walked his way to the end of the row, his fingeres skimmed the games, hands stopping on familiar games and games that caught his eye. The games that were on the shelves ranged from retro games to contemporary first person shooters.

'Tsukki and I used to love this game!' He thought as he picked up an old fps game. He looked for the latest installment and found it at the top of the shelf. His 5'8" almost 5'9" height making it easy for him to reach the top shelf. He decided he's going to buy it with the hopes of enjoying it with Tsukishima.

The DS games were lesser than the xbox games and the shelf was not that high.

'Maybe because most kids play the DS.' He repeated his process of skimming his fingers on the plastic covers of the games, but now, his eyes were diligently looking for the game he intended to buy.

A flash of teal and orange caught his eye and his hand immediately caught the corner of the case, but a hand also caught the opposite corner making Yamaguchi freeze.

His eyes followed the stranger's hand. His eyes went to the small bandaged hand, then his eyes went down to the stranger's arm, and was stuck on the stranger's cat -like eyes that stared at him. He may be smaller than Yamaguchi but those calculating eyes were on him, sizing him up. He wanted to take him seriously but the way his hair fell on his shoulders, and the blonde dye of his hair fading at his roots made him look like a kid who experimented with bleaching his hair blonde and got tired maintaining the color. And his maroon sweater was way too big on his smaller frame that it reached his ripped-jean cladded thighs. He was oddly adorable.

"Uhm..." Yamaguchi wanted to retract his hand but his competitive side stopped him despite hus initial impression of the guy.

"Y-you could have it." The stranger's voice was soft and was almost a whisper,but his hand was not letting go.

Yamaguchi looked for another copy of the game, his hand not letting go of the case, but there was none. His eyes came back on the stranger's yellow stare and saw that it was downcast. The stranger finally let go of the game and turned around to leave. 

Yamaguchi felt guilty. He felt like he was taking a candy from a baby and that baby looked so dejected with his slumped shoulders and large sweater.

"W-wait!" He rushed forward and grabbed the stranger's shoulder. The stranger flinched but nevertheless stopped at his tracks. He turned to look at Yamaguchi, those golden eyes traveled up until they found Yamaguchi's. 

'Oh god he's so cute!' He wanted to pinch his cheeks and shove him in his pocket!

"Uhm, we could go to the counter and ask if they have some in stock." Yamaguchi grabbed the game and saw the weariness in those eyes. 

'He's uncomfortable.' He lifted his hand off him and shoved his hand in his pocket.

"Or not. I-it's totally up to you." He mumbled, mentally kicking himself for being too forward.

The stranger unabashedly stared at the game at Yamaguchi's side and gave him a small smile, a simple tilt of his lips.

"I'd like that."

"Hey, Kenma, did you find what you were looking for?" Hinata's head popped up on the corner of the shelf. "Oh, hey there Yamaguchi, did you find that game you wanted?" Yamaguchi wanted to say something but the stranger by his side answered.

"Hello, Shouyo." The stranger, whose name is actually Kenma, gave a small wave at Hinata. "Do you have this game in stock?" He pointed at the game that Yamaguchi was holding. Kenma's voice became clear and no longer silent as he talked to Hinata.

"Hmm, I don't know. Why don't you follow me and I'll check if we have some." 

They followed Hinata to the counter with Yamaguchi trailing behind and Kenma by Yamaguchi's side. 

"Wait here, me and Kageyama will look for it at the back." Hinata opened the door that read 'For Employees Only' and entered.

The store was silent except for the pop music that played in the background. They stood there in an awkward silence.

"So... You and Hinata are close?" Yamaguchi said but immediately regretted speaking because his voice was too high and it wavered like a pre-pubescent teenager.

"Why did you think that?" Kenma answered, his voce back to being almost a whisper.

"W-well, you called him Shouyo, and that's his first name so I assumed you guys were close." 

Kenma huffed a silent laugh and smiled at him. "I generally call people by their first name. Of course I ask them first if they're comfortable with it." Yamaguchi saw that Kenma's shoulders were no longer hunched in tension and that made him relax a bit. "And we used to play volleyball together, so that's that."

" You played volleyball? Wow, what's your position? I was a pinch server and a middle blocker." Yamaguchi was surprised that this guy-who was almost at the same height of Hinata-played volleyball, but what surprised him most was how easy it was to talk to Kenma. 

"I was a setter and Hinata was a wing spiker. How do you know Shouyou, by the way?" He tilted his head to the side and Yamaguchi wanted to pet Kenma's pudding of a hair.

"We share a few classes together but he's generally in the robotic's lab, you know, with him being an IT major." Yamaguchi explicitly avoided telling Kenma about the fact that Hinata was his sober-brother-from-another-mother, and that he parties and go to bars often. He wanted to make a good impression, and saying that he drinks on weekdays is a turn off.

"Oh, you're from Karasuno?"

"Yup, a proud crow." Yamaguchi smiled at Kenma and pointed at the school's patch stitched on the strap of his bag. "You?"

"I'm from Nekoma, home of the Wildcats." Kenma smiled in return and pointed at the school's logo on his sweater. 

Hinata came back with Kageyama behind him.

"Sorry guys, this is the last one. The next stock of games will arrive two to three months from now." Hinata looked at Yamaguchi and Kenma, thinking of ways to resolve the issue. "So how do we do this? You guys wanna do rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock for it?"

"Or a coin flip." Kageyama suggested.

"Or they could play one game of Mortal Kombat and whoever wins gets the game." Hinata countered.

"Or they could fight to the death!" Kageyama's eyes shined and so does Hinata's.

"Oh oh oh, we have some Game of Thrones swords on display, they could use those!" Hinata practically jumped at the thought of Yamaguchi and Kenma spilling blood for a game.

"Guys, guys! There is no need for that!" Yamaguchi interrupted before the two decided to equip them with Dothraki and Valyrian armor.

"He's right. Yamaguchi touched the game first so the game should be his." Yamaguchi said even though his face said otherwise.

"Are you sure? I could wait two to three months for it, it's no big dea-" Yamaguchi didn't miss the hopeful gleam on Kenma's eyes but Yamaguchi suddenly remembered Yaku. He remembered that godforsaken video that Yaku-san has on his phone and the pesky mission he needs to fullfill. "Oh god, I just remembered, it's a big deal." Yamaguchi saw that hope disappear in Kenma's cat-like eyes. 

'Stop looking like I set a puppy on fire in front of you!' Yamaguchi felt bad for him.

"I understand." Kenma's voice was so soft that Yamaguchi almost didn't hear it.

"H-Hey, uhm... You could play it with me, if you want." Yamaguchi was so embarrassed that he wanted to take back the offer and run back to his dorm, but Kenma's hopeful eyes stopped him from changing his mind. "We could meet up and play the game on my DS and you can borrow it, the game I mean." His voice shook and he can't maintain eye contact.

"Really?" Kenma leaned closer to Yamaguchi's side, his hands grabbing Yamaguchi's shirt.

"Y-yeah. And I have a few installments of the game and we could play it in multiplayer and stuff." Yamaguchi fought the urge to ruffle Kenma's hair.

"That would be nice. Ok, you buy it then." Kenma finally let go of Yamaguchi's shirt and smiled a dazzling smile at Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi blushed while picking out his wallet from his pocket.

Yamaguchi placed the two games on the counter-the rpg one and the first person shooter for Tsukishima- and paid for it. 

"Don't worry, Kenma, I'll call you when the game comes. I promise, crow's honor." Hinata placed his hand on his chest and looked determined to fullfill his promise. 

Yamaguchi snickered at him before waving goodbye.

"Thank you and come again!" Kageyama shouted at them. He heard Kageyama smack Hinata's head before the door closed.

When Yamaguchi and Kenma were out of the store, a gust of wind blew past them and both of them shivered. Yamaguchi placed the games in his bag and adjusted the straps tighter on his shoulders. Kenma shivered as the wind seeped through his thick sweater.

"S-so how do we do this?" Yamaguchi turned to Kenma. "Should we exchange numbers to set a date?" Yamaguchi choked on the implication of his words. "N-Not a date date as in dinner and walking hand in hand date, but a date date like a specific time or day kind of date. I'm pretty sure you're not into guys and I don't want you to think that I assumed that you were. I-I didn't want to come across as a creep who asks guys to play games with him, and I-"

"Yamaguchi." Kenma stopped his rambling and took hold of Yamaguchi's arm. "I know that you asked for my number to set a time and place for me to meet you to play the game. I really don't have a gender preference when it comes to friends or... Lovers?" A splash of pink stained Kenma's cheeks and Yamaguchi liked to think that it was because of the cold. "And I didn't think that you were a creep by offering to share the game with me, I thought you were kind and a good guy." That dazzling smile was back on Kenma's face and it was Yamaguchi's turn to blush.

With that, they exchanged numbers and learned each other's names.

"Yamaguchi Tadashi, do you mind if I call you Tadashi?" Kenma was busy filling in the information on his phone that he didn't notice the smile that Yamaguchi was sporting when he said his name.

"Alright, Kozume Kenma. But it's only fair that I call you Kenma, right?" Yamaguchi was still unsure on how to approach him. He didn't want to assume things and make a bad impression.

"Yes, that's fair." Kenma looked up at Yamaguchi. "I'll be waiting for your text, Tadashi." Kenma pocketed his phone.

Yamaguchi fiddled with his phone. He didn't want to say goodbye to Kenma but he didn't know what to say at the same time.

"I guess, this is goodbye then?" Yamaguchi asked and thank god that Kenma nodded.

\-----

"Yaku-san! Yaku-san!" 

 _"What!"_ Yaku sounded groggy and irritated on the phone.

"I did it! I bought a game and I made a friend!" Yamaguchi said proudly and the few people on the bus stared at him. 

 _"Good for you, Tadashi."_ Now he sounded condescending. _"Is that all? Can I go back to sleep now?"_

"Sleep?" Yamaguchi checked the time on the bus. "Yaku-san it's 6:45. Isn't that too early for bedtime? What, do you still think that you'll grow a couple of inches if you sleep at least eight hours?" 

 _"Har har, Yamaguchi. You're lucky I'm not there to roundhouse your ass to the ground."_ Yamaguchi heard yawning and he's pretty sure it's not from Yaku. _"I'm tired and I have an exam tomorrow so if you have nothing important to tell me, can you just fuck off already so I can sleep?"_

"Ok. Good night Yaku-san, sweet dreams to you and whoever it is you're sleeping with." Yamaguchi hung up before Yaku could say anything but he was pretty sure he heard his senpai gasp.

\-----

When Yamaguchi entered their room, Tsukishima was sprawled on his bed and was surrounded by pieces of papers and books. Yamaguchi wanted to comment on the smell of smoke in their room but decided not to say anything about it. Yamaguchi gets drunk and Tsukishima smokes, that's their dynamic. As long as none of them complains, they continued lessening their lifespan. Yamaguchi would like to think that he'll die of liver failure or alcohol poisoning, and Tsukishima would die of lung cancer. A match made in vices heaven.

"Where'd you go?" Tsukishima said, eyes not leaving the page he was reading.

"To the city. I bought a game. You wanna play it with me sometime?" Yamaguchi still remembers the small kisses on his fingers that made him stutter. it's a good thing that Tsukishima was engrossed on his book that he didn't see the dust of pink on Yamaguchi's cheeks. "It's the first person shooter game with the zombies that we used to play. There's a new installment and Hinata said that it was a good game." Yamaguchi flopped down on his own bed and opened his bag to show Tsukishima the game he bought.

"The city? I could've drove you, you know."

"Sorry Tsukki? But your hellweek just started and I don't want you wasting your time on me instead of studying, so I took the bus."

There was a moment of silence before Tsukishima said something.

"Hinata?" Tsukishima finally looked his way and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he works there." He placed the plastic bag with the games in it on their nightstand. Yamaguchi went to his drawer to grab some clothes before going to the shower.

"Tsukki, I'll take a bath first, ok?" Tsukishima simply nodded.

The hot shower was nice on Yamaguchi's cold skin that when he got out of the shower wearing his boxer shorts and his old highschool shirt, all he could do was sigh. The warm steam of the shower clinged to his skin and he felt rejuvinated.

Tsukishima beckoned him forward and patted his thighs. Like a trained dog, Yamaguchi went to him and sat on the floor between Tsukishima's knees. Tsukishima took the towel on Yamaguchi's shoulders and started drying/massaging Yamaguchi's head. Yamaguchi's eyelids suddenly felt heavy.

"Who's Kenma?" 

"What?" Yamaguchi was still fuzzy because of the shower and the steady motions of Tsukishima's hands on his head.

"Someone called and I answered." Tsukishima stopped massaging Yamaguchi's head and that was the sign that he was finished. Yamaguchi stood up with unsteady feet and faced Tsukishima while still in between his knees. With Yamaguchi standing up and Tsukishima sitting on his bed, it was one of those rare occassions where Yamaguchi gets to lean down to look at his six foot two friend in the eyes. Yamaguchi staggered, leaning forward and placing both of his hands on Tsukishima's broad shoulders to gain a sense of balance. He was always sleepy after a hot shower and Tsukishima knows this. Tsukishima's hands found their way to Yamaguchi's hips to steady him.

"Who's Kenma?" Tsukishima's face was a blank slate but his voice was as cold as the night breeze, and that was enough to catch Yamaguchi's attention.

"I met him in the store where I bought the games. We wanted the same game so I offered to share it with him. Isn't it awesome that I found that rpg game I've been playing since highschool and I found a friend at the same time?" Tsukishima's fingers dug on his skin but Yamaguchy was so close to slumber that he didn't mind. He yawned and wiped the tears on his eyes with the back of his hand. "Tsukki, I'm sleepy."

"Ok, let's get you to bed."

Tsukishima stood up and followed Yamaguchi to his bed. Yamaguchi laid down and Tsukishima tucked him in.

With closed eyes and body wrapped in a blanket like a burrito, Yamaguchi mumbled. "Good night Tsukki."

"Good night, Tadashi." Tsukishima's voice was too close that his breath tickled the shell of his ear. Yamaguchi was too far gone to blush or think about it so he just smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait you guys... I'll try my best to magically pull out the next chapter out of my ass, i promise :D
> 
> P.S. I want you guys to comment on this story cause i want to know if i'm doing things right with the characters and stuff... Plus, I want to interact with you guys!


	4. A Coward's Transaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima knew it was a petty move but honestly, he didn't give a damn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the magical chapter from my not so stable mind... 
> 
> So, uhm... This is the first time i'm writing something so smutty and i wanted my first time to be about tsukkiyama but I kinda feel like it's the right time,in the story of course, to pop the proverbial cherry (even though there's no butt fucking in this chapter.)
> 
> So here you go, my first smutty chapter and sorry in advance if it's not as hot and heavy as you expect cause it's not meant to be that way... Or maybe i just suck at it
> 
> Read at your own risk. 
> 
>  
> 
> You've been warned...

Kissing Yamaguchi's fingers wasn't a part of Tsukishima's five-year plan. He kept on asking himself why he let his actions go unchecked in the infirmary but all he can come up with is that he thought he was dreaming. You see, college messed up Tsukishima's body clock and sleep patterns, sometimes he sleeps for two hours and sometimes he sleeps like the dead. Functioning while sleep deprived is one of the things that he's good at, minus the headaches and the snarky attitude but he was an ass in the first place so that's that. 

That morning, he slept for four hours which was a record if you consider the amount of studying he had to do for the day. But as always, it wasn't enough. During the commute to his brother's restaurant, Tsukishima could feel the pounding on his head and the growling of his empty stomach. His body was now experiencing the punishment of a lack of sleep, and he blames his three reasons for it. It was a good thing that his brother gave him a muffin because let's face it, Tsukishima would probably get into a car accident if that muffin was't offered to him. And so he went on his merry way towards his school and went straight to the infirmary where he was almost toppled by a small third year med student who was off to be the very best like no one ever was. Yaku was so exited that he felt his energy drained just by staying close to the third year. 

The infirmary was quiet and Yamaguchi was sweaty and having a fever. Tsukishima was a bit guilty for his focus was on how the sweaty and panting look suited Yamaguchi and not on the raspy breathing of his friend. When Tsukishima was done ogling the freckled boy and followed the instructions left by Yaku, he made himself comfortable by Yamaguchi's side and decided to have a power nap just enough to ease his headache. His plan when he wakes up was to let Yamaguchi eat his breakfast, make him take the medicine and help him review for their quiz, but when he woke up with Yamaguchi's face in front of him, his mind went blank. 

Without his glasses, the world became blurry at the edges and the sensation of Yamaguchi's fingers on his face made his vision have a dreamlike quality to it. But the moment was cut short by a silver-haired third year who was all smiles. The realization that he wasn't dreaming was like a bucket of ice cold water splashed on his crotch. He pulled away from Yamaguchi so fast that he was surprised his hand hasn't flown off his arm. He tried his best to look nonchalant, like nothing happened. He wasn't sure if he did a good job in pretending that nothing happened but when he glanced at Yamaguchi's direction he got his answer. Yamaguchi was blinking and blinking so fast that Tsukishima almost wasn't sure what his friend was thinking but after a few blinks, he saw relief, the confusion, and hurt. Tsukishima ignored the guilt and did his best to not glare at Sugawara. Tsukishima had to admit that the third year had an attractive face and a beauty mark just below his eye, right on the spot where Tsukishima wanted to punch him so bad.

After that, Yamaguchi acted normal, so normal like what he did that morning was no big deal, so normal that Tsukishima almost believed that his lips were never on Yamaguchi's fingers. Yamaguchi acted too damn normal that Tsukishima started to hate the word. What's normal anyway? The opposite of abnormal? A state of balance? Homeostasis? When you come to think of it, 'normal' can be anything if you repeat the same actions over and over again until you're so used to it. So if you constantly fuck things up and feel like shit later on, that torturous feeling of hurt and self-hate becomes agonizingly normal that makes you think that you like fucking things up just to emotionally kick your ass.

\-----

"Hey Tsukishima," the person next to him kept on poking his side, "what do you think of that girl."

"What girl?" Tsukishima let his eyes roam around the cafe, "You have to be specific, Tanaka-san."

"That blonde girl with the ponytail! Seriously, I thought that with your glasses you could see better than me." 

Tsukishima spotted the blonde head out of all the blonde girls in the cafe for she was the only one with a high ponytail, and shamelessly stared at the petite figure sitting two tables at their right.

"What the fuck, Tsukishima!" Tanaka whispered harshly as he gripped Tsukishima's nape and dragged it down. "Don't be so damn obvious, you moron!" Tanaka hissed and pulled his hood over his shaved head. "If she caught you staring, she might fall for you!"

"Dammit, Tanaka-san! Get your hand off me or I'll leave you here." Tsukishima practically growled.

"You dare talk to your senpai like that, you lanky son of a-"

"Here is your caramel macchiato and hot mocha." The tall server laid down their mugs on the table and openly stared at them.

"What are you looking at, man-bun?" Tanaka made this face where his nose is scrunched, his mouth in an open snarl, and his eyes squinting that made most people back off. It had the same effects to their tall server with a man bun that he almost dropped his tray.

"Uhm... T-the strawberry shortcake w-will be served l-later as well as the matcha c-cupcake." Their server stuttered and left their table in a hurry.

Tanaka finally let go of Tsukishima's nape and took a sip at his mug.

"Blegh," Tanaka exclaimed in disgust. "This isn't mocha!" He switched their drinks and glared at Tsukishima's mug. "You loving everything so sweet is beyond me. You do know that you could have diabetes with that, right?"

"Whatever." Tsukishima took a sip and felt comfort as the sweet concoction made its way to his throat and warm his stomach.

"Anyway..." Tanaka droned on and on about how being a second year is like being the middle child in a dysfunctional family.

'How did I become friends with this bastard?'

Tsukishima wasn't really a people person but he decided that he'll try to be one for the sake of winning during his volleyball games. He used to sneer at those cliche lines about teamwork but ended up chanting and screaming cheers at his teammates when they're in a pinch. He didn't really try that hard to make friends and that was ok with him, because fickle friendships come and go but real friendships last for a lifetime-at least that's what he would like to think. Maybe some people just fit together easily, jive on each other's energy and whatnot.

It's a good thing that he has Yamaguchi or else he'd be the tall weird kid with no friends at the back of the class. Because Tsukishima is who he is, people are often intimidated by his tall stature and are pissed at his smart ass attitude that most people tend to leave him alone. That's why Tsukishima was thankful to every deity out there that they created Yamaguchi, the freckled star child that understands and gets along with the snarky creature that was Tsukishima Kei. He might be a blunt asshole most of the time but at least he was honest about whatever comes out of his mouth. He was thankful that the gods created someone who appreciates his sense of humor and that there's someone who would snicker with him. That's why it irritated him when Yamaguchi started to make friends besides him. He admits that it was selfish of him to deprive Yamaguchi of one of the basic needs for his social health but he wanted him for himself, no matter how childish it was to think that Yamaguchi would leave him because he met a few people.

When Yamaguchi introduced Yaku, his initial reaction was to not talk to the midget but when he saw how Yamaguchi laughed at Yaku's potty mouth and jokes, he decided he'll elevate his status from acquaintance to acquaintance-I'll-not-throw-off-a-cliff. Having Yaku as his friend was very stressful for he sees right through him. He was the first person, aside from Yamaguchi, who was able to see past the bullshit that Tsukishima tried to hide. He was also the first person that talked down to him despite the huge gap in their height. Yaku Morisuke was a small shot of Russian vodka, a small shot to burn the hell out of your throat, and it was very refreshing.

"Hey," Tanaka snapped his fingers inches from his eyes, "are you listening to me, Tsukishima?"

"Yeah, the law of dibs is very interesting, Tanaka-san." He deadpanned as he took another sip of his caramel macchiato.

"You know, if you're just gonna sit there and ignore me, why bother inviting me in the first place?" Tanaka poured an insane amount of milk on his mug and stirred while raising a pierced eyebrow at him. "Isn't this you and Yamaguchi's thing?" He gestured at their mugs and the while of the cafe.

"You sounded like a girl just now, Tanaka-san." Tsukishima snickered and avoided the jab at his side. "Don't worry, the girls in this cafe are not my type so you can rest assure that you have infinite dibs on that blonde, or that brunette, or that red head over there." Tsukishima was nothing if not a boss in changing the topic.

"One strawberry shortcake and one matcha cupcake." The tall server returned and placed their cakes on the table. The server almost dropped Tanaka's cupcake and Tsukishima couldn't help but look up and appreciate the server's physique.

He was very tall and muscular underneath a white button up shirt that was stretched over his broad shoulders and chest, Tsukishima wondered why some buttons haven't popped off yet. The muscles on his limbs were quite evident because he folded up his sleeves up his elbows and black pants that clung to his legs. He sported a stubble on his chin and a few strands of brown hair escaped the bun at the base of his neck and hang at his olive brown eyes, the elastic band that served as a makeshift hair band complimented the hipster kind of look. It suited him, Tsukishima muttered to himself.

"As a matter of fact, he's more of my type." Tsukishima nodded at their server.

"Wha-?" Tsukishima sat there, amused on how the server's rugged features turned softer and how the blush on his cheeks made him unbearably adorable.

Tanaka laughed at the server's reaction. "Pardon my friend," Tanaka peered at their server's name tag, "Asahi. He's really thirsty 'cause he's been fucking his right hand for two weeks now. I'm really sorry."

Their server turned around and made a beeline towards the counter, all blushing and flustered.

 "As I was saying, you have free pick because none of these girls are my type." Tsukishima grabbed his fork and took a bite at his cake. 

A fist was slammed on their table surprising both Tanaka and Tsukushima.

"First, you make fun of Asahi," They looked at the small server with outrageously spiky hair who was shaking in fury, "then you fuckers decide to hit on him. No one insults and hit on my boyfriend besides me. Now if you have a problem with that, I would gladly beat you up after my shift." The server was so small that Tsukishima thought he was a high school student with his small stature and spiky hair with blonde highlights on tufts of hair on his forehead.

"Nishinoya, forget about it." The tall server, Asahi, placed a large hand on the smaller server's shoulder. "If the manager catches you picking a fight again, he'll fire you."

"But he hit on you! And I was planning on beating them up after my shift out back. Plus, that guy," he tilted his head to Tsukishima's direction, "has a really punchable face!" 

"I know, but punching a customer in the face can lead to trouble." Nishinoya had to crane his neck up to fully look at Asahi's face and Tsukishima tried his best to hold his laughter in.

"What are you two doing over there? Get back to work!" A man in a suit shouted at the two servers.

"Yes boss!" Asahi replied and dragged Nishinoya away from their table. Nishinoya gestured at his eyes with his two fingers and pointed at Tanaka and Tsukishima's direction, then back to his eyes while glaring daggers at them.

"Ah, I guess I'm never going back to this cafe anymore. Thanks a lot Tsukishima." Tanaka kicked Tsukishima's foot under the table.

"You know what," Tsukishima stood up, "I'm gonna ask for that girl's number and you can shove that law of dibs up your ass, Tanaka-san."

"You said she's not your type!" Tanaka gripped Tsukishima's arm, stopping him from moving.

"You're right, she's not." Tsukishima made a show of combing his hands through his hair and flattening the wrinkles on his shirt.

"Then what the hell, man!"

"I'm doing this out of spite, Tanaka-san." He grinned at his senpai before shrugging his hand off his arm. 

\-----

'Don’t you think that the true captain will be called a real stargazer, a babbler, and a good-for-nothing by those who sail in ships governed in that way?'

"Well I don't fucking know, Plato-slash-Socrates. Why don't you just go straight to the fucking point like Aristotle?!" Tsukishima threw his copy of The Republic at the wall. Tsukishima has three consecutive exams tomorrow and it's driving him mad. His Modern Political Thought comes first before his Medieval one, and a stray Social Science class was added into the mix.   

After Tsukishima got the number of the blonde in the cafe, he went straight to his room and began reading his notes. He started reading at around four in the afternoon and his eyes started to water after two hours of alternately reading from his notes, a book, and reading a pdf file of his professor's lectures on his phone. Now, he's stuck at one chapter of Plato's The Republic, reading and re-reading one damn paragraph that only made his eyes water more. He checked the time on his phone and considered before lifting himself off the bed and went straight to his underwear drawer. He dug his hand underneath the corner of the drawer and retrieved a pack of cigarettes and a small lighter. He strode to the window and lifted it open before sitting on the window sill, one leg dangling three floors above the ground while the other leg was folded in front of him.

Tsukishima tapped the pack until one cigarette butt popped up. He picked the cigarette up with his teeth and pulled it out of the pack. His tongue darted out to taste the nicotine off the cotton between his teeth. He couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped between his teeth as the anticipation of exhaling all of his problems through smoke.

Oh how he missed this.

The tension on Tsukishima's shoulders started to leave his body, the knot in his stomach was replaced with anticipation as he lowered his head towards the lighter. His lungs missed the burn, his mouth missed the taste. Not only that, he missed everything that one cancer inducing stick could bring. And before he knew it, he was on his last cigarette. With his last cigarette between his fingers, he placed it between his teeth and repeat the process of lighting the end with the lighter and sucked at the other end. He breathed in long and deep, feeling the smoke travel down his throat and fill his lungs. He held the smoke in, the way he liked it. His eyes fluttered close as his preferred poison inflated his lungs and burned his insides. He pursed his lips and blew the smoke out at a steady stream. Tsukishima exhaled both the smoke and stress out of his body in one long exhale.     

"Damn that felt good." Tsukishima took another long inhale off his cigarette and released it through his nostrils, the heat of the smoke inflicted a pleasant burn. 

After he was done smoking his last cigarette, he flicked the cigarette butt towards the trash bin amidst the pile of the other cigarette butts he sucked dry. It was a good thing that a tree covered most of the view from their room or else he'd be kicked out of the dorms. It was not like Tsukishima was broke and couldn't afford an apartment by himself, it's just that he refused to live alone. If he could only find a suitable roommate- Yamaguchi, obviously- he would get out of the dorms like a bat out of hell. He's not really picky when it comes to living companions. All he wants is a person who wouldn't disturb him when he's reading, wouldn't complain about his taste of music, wouldn't complain about his music on full volume, wouldn't mind that he's an organized and unorganized creature of the dark, wouldn't mind his sudden hunger in the middle of the night-his preferred roommate was actually Yamaguchi, if he could only convince him to share an apartment with him.

'Speaking of Yamaguchi,' He checked the time on his nightstand, 'where the hell is he?' By this time, Yamaguchi would either be on his bed, reading his readings or be in a club or bar getting wasted, there's no in between. But since Yaku was fiercely angry at Yamaguchi for drinking on weekdays that caused him to go have a fever, the latter had a small probability of happening; unless Yamaguchi suddenly grew a pair and went to get drunk anyway then he'll have to be ready to repeat the process of taking care of him just like he did this morning.

Yamaguchi would normally accompany Tsukishima to the cafe near the school after their classes. But before they crossed the street towards the cafe, Yamaguchi apologized that he can't come with him to the cafe for he had somewhere else to go. Tsukishima regretted letting him go without asking where he was going and what time he'll be coming back. And now he's worried.

The rational voice in his head said:  _He'll be fine! He's a grown man capable protecting himself and making his own decisions. Seriously, there's no need to be this worried about Tadashi._

But the louder, much emotional voice in his head said:  _Oh god, what if he's mugged?! Cornered in an alley by a really sketchy guy?! Dammit, where the fuck is he?!_

Tsukishima sighed, stress returning back to his body. He jumped jumped off the window sill and left the window open to let the smell of smoke exit the room. He grabbed the Lysol at the foot of his bed and proceeded to spray every inch of their room. Yamaguchi wasn't really a fan of Tsukishima's choice of poison-likewise with Tsukishima hating Yamaguchi's drinking- but the freckled boy decided to keep quiet about it, and so did he. They had a pretty good dynamic of not saying what's on their mind.

After smoking for half an hour, Tsukishima could lick the insides of his mouth and taste the nicotine. To pass time, he went back to his bed and read pages upon pages of readings while sucking on a menthol candy. He was at his third candy when Yamaguchi returned, all pink faced because of the cold and hair disheveled from the wind.

\-----

 'Who the hell is Kenma?' Tsukishima mused, his readings forgotten on his bed while staring at Yamaguchi's sleeping frame. He stared at Yamaguchi's phone near his pillow and clicked his tongue when it lit to life. He wanted to ignore the new message on Yamaguchi's phone  for he was never the snooping kind of guy, but dammit Yamaguchi was another case. 

Tsukishima sat up straight and didn't hesitate when he picked up Yamaguchi's phone. He tapped on the screen and entered Yamaguchi's four digit password: 9812, Yamaguchi's initials and his jersey number in high school, but the phone vibrated which means that the password was wrong.

'Ok...' He entered 9885, it vibrated. 'Wrong again.'

1213\. Wrong.

'Ugh, what is it?!' He tried a couple more guesses until Yamaguchi's phone was 'disabled'. He glared at the screen then glared at Yamaguchi. He had no choice but to go for his finger prints. Yamaguchi was tucked in like a caterpillar, how the hell was he going to have a hold of his hand? Tsukishima blamed himself for actually doing a good job of making a Yamaguchi burrito.

Tsukishima snaked his hand under Yamaguchi's side searching for his hand. He ignored the delicious warmth that enveloped Yamaguchi's body and shoved his hand further in. He was sure that his hands were far from Yamaguchi's limb because his hand landed on an expanse of flesh instead of a slim arm. He pulled his arm closer, and with deliberate slowness, found Yamaguchi's arm. His hand went down his forearm and grasped Yamaguchi's warm hands. Tsukishima leaned down and took a peek under the covers, making sure that it was indeed Yamaguchi's hand. Tsukishima slipped Yamaguchi's phone under the covers and placed Yamaguchi's thumb on the button.

The phone unlocked with a beep.

Tsukishima hastily tucked Yamaguchi in under the covers and went straight to their shared bathroom and locked himself in.

 _Is this really necessary?_ The rational voice in his mind was back.  _I mean, so what if he made a friend? It's not like he's going to leave your insecure ass behind just for that. Plus, this is violating his privacy- stalker level invasion of privacy, Tsukishima. Who do you think you are, his boyfriend?_

His rational voice had a point. If Tsukishima was truly Yamaguchi's friend, he should be happy that he found a person that would make him smile. He should be considerate of Yamaguchi's needs and-

 _Oh shush. You and I both know that 's not the case here._ The emotional part of his mind voiced out.  _We are doing this because we worry; we worry that some kid will take advantage of Tadashi's kindness and make him cry again! It's not the first time that people acted nice just to have something from him. Plus... we're kind of jealous so-_

'Oh no no no no' Tsukishima admits that having access to Yamaguchi's phone was exhilarating, but the main reason was to know what the text messages were. Yamaguchi was not a nasty person, in fact he was a nice guy. However, because he was always hanging out with Tsukishima, people tend to stay away from him. Tsukishima was guilty about that but seeing the tears roll down Yamaguchi's eyes every time someone betrays his trust was enough for Tsukishima to be protective of his friend.

Tsukishima was startled, almost dropping the phone, when the phone vibrated in his hand. He read the name of the sender: Kozume Kenma.

'So this is Kenma. What's up with the first name?' Tsukishima swallowed his guilt and let his curiosity take the reins. He tapped on the message and read.

 

From: Kenma

Hello Tadashi. I just wanted to thank you for sharing the game with me and I am very excited to play it with you. 

 

'Tadashi? I thought they just met?'

 

From: Kenma

I'm sorry if I come off as eager... it's just that I have been waiting for the game for a long time and I really want to play it. I hope that's not weird. I'm normally a pretty mellow kind of guy but these kinds of things tend to have an effect on me. So when and what time will we meet?

 

'He hasn't replied for like ten minutes, dude. Get a clue.'

 

From: Kenma

Oh wow... Did you give me a fake number? Cause you haven't replied yet. 

 

Another ten minutes have passed.

 

From: Kenma

Oh god... You did give me a fake number! If you don't reply then I'll tell Shouyou about this dick move you just pulled off and let him beat you up.

 

Tsukishima scrolled down to the latest message.

 

From: Kenma

I really thought you were a nice guy, cute even, but it turns out you're just an asshole in freckled clothing. Goodbye!

 

Tsukishima relaxed and couldn't suppress a small smile of victory after reading the text messages that Kenma has sent Yamaguchi. He was confident enough that Kenma wasn't a threat to their dynamic so he decided to let it go. He unlocked the door and carefully placed the phone near Yamaguchi's pillow and continued reading with a smile on his face.

\-----

"Oh no no no no." Tsukishima heard a continuous mumblings of 'oh no's'. 

Tsukishima fell asleep while reading and was woken up by a disheveled Yamaguchi banging his head on the wall. He searched for his phone in the pile of pages on his bed and checked the time: 12:30 am. He groaned and prayed that the banging and the chanting would stop, which it didn't.

"Yamaguchi, it's 12-fuckin-30, please go back to bed!" Tsukishima tried to block off the noise with a pillow over his head.

"You don't understand, Tsukki!" Tsukishima's bed dipped low by his left.

"Do you know that friend I was talking about?"

"Yeah." His voice was muffled by the pillow.

"He thinks that I'm an asshole! He thought that I gave him a wrong number! What am I gonna do, Tsukki?"

Tsukishima shifted to his side, the pillow falling off his face, and looked up to Yamaguchi sitting at the edge of his bed. "The logical thing to do is to apologize and explain, Yamaguchi."

"I know that, Tsukki, but what if he doesn't believe me?" Yamaguchi's eyebrows were scrunched up and wrinkled the skin above his nose with worry.

"Why wouldn't he believe you?" Tsukishima propped himself up on his elbows. "Last time I checked, he's the one who needs something from you." Tsukishima knew he'll regret the next words that came out of his mouth but he did it anyway. He would do anything to erase the worry on Yamaguchi's face , even if it hurt him. "Just set a date, where and when you guys will play that stupid game, and you guys will be fine," Tsukishima let the double meaning of the words sink in before he shrugged and decided to take a shower before he suggests anything more.

"Ok, I'll do that. Thanks Tsukki." Yamaguchi went to Tsukishima's dresser and picked up a clean towel. "Uhm, isn't it a bit late to take a shower, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi asked while handing the towel.

"I'm going somewhere, don't wait up." Tsukishima didn't mean to but his voice was nonchalant, borderline cold.

"Alright then, be careful avoiding the guards, Tsukki."

\-----

From: sixtwoblondemegane

?

\-----

From: Mr.Purrfect

!

\-----

Some people would think that an establishment such as a University would have strict and efficient security, while some people would think that the patrolling security guards and sniffing dogs are just for display. Tsukishima Kei was one of the latter, so much so that he challenges the university's security like it was his mission in life. Maybe the security on their building is low or Tsukishima was just too good at escaping his dorm room, but no one can object that the adrenaline that pumped through his veins while jumping off a tree was imaginary. He loved the thrill of jumping off windows, of hiding in the bushes, and eluding the fat security guys with flashlights. And when Tsukishima was at the school's rarely used exit, he was smiling from ear to ear.

He waited for a couple of minutes before a black Mazda 3 flashed its lights on his direction. He waved his hand until the car swerved on the sidewalk. The black tinted windows pulled down to reveal a figure that has been occupying most of his nights.

"Want a ride, sweet thing?" Says the man on the driver seat.

Tsukishima scoffed at the nickname, "Sweet thing? Seriously?" Tsukishima opened the passenger side door and went in, ignoring the sniggers of his driver.

\-----

Sharing a room with Yamaguchi was nothing short of a miracle. Tsukishima was elated to know that they were attending the same university, but knowing that they were roommates was a whole another level of joy and relief. Because Yamaguchi was always, always there. In times when he needed him for trivial reasons-like accompanying him to the library- and in times when he really needed his presence- like when he needed to stop consuming energy drinks every hour. Yamaguchi was a permanent presence in his life, as permanent as his bad eyesight and passion for sweets. That's why it was easy to share a room with him.

But after a while, things started to get out of hand. Tsukishima's control-of well, his control of everything-started to crumble down. It started with him wanting Yamaguchi's attention more and more. He would do anything to get his attention, even purposely failing some of his subjects just for Yamaguchi to tutor him. Then, he wanted to touch Yamaguchi, not just patting his shoulders or accidentally bumping shoulders in the hallway. He wanted to play with his unruly hair, caress his cheeks, trail his fingers on his freckles, even hold his hand. The urgent need to touch Yamaguchi was overwhelming, and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. Next, went his control over his morning routines... well, you know how well that went. Lastly, his control over Yamaguchi. Tsukishima would never admit in having a control over Yamaguchi, but he would also never admit in monopolizing Yamaguchi's attention. It has been explicitly implied that Yamaguchi is one of the pillars that make up Tsukishima's sanity, hence his permanent status in Tsukishima's life. But recent events have made them repel each other like the same sides of a magnet.

Just like tonight.

Tsukishima wasn't really planning on going out, especially on a school night with exams hours away, but here he is inside a FUBU's (Fuck Buddy) car driving to the city and to the said FUBU's apartment. He's been doing this for a while now- unemotional and casual sex- and he's used to the awkward ride and the feeling of release after. Some would say that he's heartless and maybe they're right, he's heartless enough to laugh at the casualness of it all.

"Don't you have exams tomorrow?" The city lights twinkled as they drove by, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.

His silence was an established yes.

"So what gives?"

The man driving still asked even though he already knew the answer to his question. Tsukishima sighed and watched the car approach a familiar driveway.

"Here we are," The man turned off the engine and tried to catch Tsukishima's attention who was almost out of the car. "Mi casa, es su casa as the people say."

Tsukishima didn't bother to answer and went out of the car with a silent close of the door.

Tsukishima waited for him at the doorway, the low light illuminating the man's figure in the shadows. Tsukishima was without a doubt a tall and on the skinny side type of guy, and he's accepted that, but the man approaching him was another case. He stood there, in all his 187 cm height glory with his spiky unruly hair that gave the illusion that he's even more taller and covered his right eye. While Tsukishima was on the skinny side, this tall man was on the lean, muscular side that was enough to make most of his shirts and jeans to clung to his figure, just like now. His t-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders and chest then loosened up at his abdomen, his dark jeans accentuating his long muscular legs. He was good enough to eat.

"Are you just gonna stand there or open the door?"

The tall man chuckled lightly, "Oh, so you're talking now. And sorry, Tsukki, it's just that the light looks good on you at this angle." The tall man smirked at Tsukishima as he approached the door.

"I told you don't call me that." Tsukishima took a step to the side to make way for him.

"Oh?" Tsukishima heard the click of the lock. "Do you prefer Kei instead?"

"The day I let you call me any other name than Tsukishima, is the day I call you senpai." Tsukishima entered the apartment unceremoniously, taking off his coat and placing it on the sofa by his right. He's been in this apartment for so many times that he knows it like the back of his hand. Like to know how many steps does he need to reach the tall man's bedroom, which was eight steps. He heard the tall man behind him shut the door and followed him inside.

Kuroo Tetsurou was a visiting student from another university. He visited Tsukishima's university while visiting his best friend, and they met in the cafeteria when Koutarou Bokuto intoduced him to Tsukishima. Bokuto became Kuroo's wingman despite Tsukishima's reputation in being a no-relationship kind of guy. In some mysterious way, Kuroo got a hold of Tsukishima's number, and since then he's been flooding Tsukishima's inbox like spam from a porn website. He was adamant in asking Tsukishima to simply hang out with him the day he got his number; he offered to treat him cake, coffee and even bought him tickets to a concert. Each text offered an array of activities that the both of them might do and enjoy, and Tsukishima dismissed them all. However, one night, when Tsukishima found Yamaguchi making out with two guys at a back alley of a club, he decided to give Kuroo a shot. Tsukishima knew it was a petty move but honestly, he didn't give a damn.

And so he agreed to have coffee with him. Their conversation started with Kuroo admitting that he finds him attractive and quote: 'I want to fuck you', which would normally throw people off, but not Tsukishima. Tsukishima nodded and said likewise while sipping his coffee. It wasn't the reaction that Kuroo was expecting but they were soon inside Kuroo's apartment fervently making out. After that, Tsukishima laid down the rules of their relationship. They both agreed to have casual sex every time the other wishes to, feelings or any kind of romantic emotions are prohibited. Tsukishima stressed the no leaving of marks such as hickeys, bruises, and scratch marks rule. Kuroo added that they should at least be mutually exclusive FUBUs because he was, quote: 'loyal that way'. Tsukishima didn't take it too seriously at that time so he agreed to it, but little did he know that being mutually exclusive was almost the same as actually dating someone.

He soon realized his mistake when Kuroo started making demands and blatantly showed his pining over Tsukishima. He forgot that Kuroo was a human being capable of desires and hunger, a being governed by emotions. He wanted to remind Kuroo that feelings were out of the equation, that they were illegal with regards to their relationship status as fuck buddies, but he was in too deep with Kuroo. They've been casually having sex after winter break and he was way too comfortable with their relationship that he wonders if they were indeed dating. That for some bizarre reason he may have developed feelings for him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kuroo closed the door gently and placed his hand on Tsukishima's shoulder, willing him to turn. "I mean it's not that weird that you'll call in the middle of the night but you look like you're confused."

Tsukishima was not aware of the wrinkle on his forehead not until Kuroo placed a finger on the spot between his eyes.

"If you don't want to do this, it's fine. We could just cuddle and talk about it-"Tsukishima slowly cupped Kuroo's face in his hands and pulled until their foreheads were touching.

"Or not! Or not."

Kuroo was a paradox just like Yamaguchi, he was tall and intimidating looking but he genuinely cares about everything, he talks a big game but becomes a flustered mess when he's being complimented, he would tell you that you suck and he'll never come back but he'll persistently stay by your side when you need him, just like now. Tsukishima rarely does intimate moves like this but he was suddenly curious about how Kuroo's lips would feel like against his chapped ones, how his lips would taste like after a pack of cigarettes-

Tsukishima leaned closer, "What are you-"

Tsukishima silenced Kuroo with his lips. It was just a peck, a small touching of lips that raised the hairs on the back of Kuroo's neck.

"You taste like cancer on a stick-" Kuroo was about to say something else but Tsukishima kissed those words away by slotting his lips to his, tongue gliding over Kuroo's lower lip for entrance. Kuroo was, for a second, shocked at Tsukishima's initiation. His senses were flooded with the smell of cigarettes and smoke as he inhaled through his nose. Tsukishima's hand was on his jaw while the other traveled to the back of his neck, pulling him close. Kuroo slacked his jaw allowing Tsukishima's tongue to glide over his. The taste of nicotine and the flick of Tsukishima's tongue elicited a groan in his throat. With purpose, Kuroo gripped Tsukishima's waist, hands snaking their way underneath Tsukishima's shirt to touch every inch of his chest. Kuroo marvelled at the feel of Tsukishima's smooth skin underneath his fingers and felt victory when the blonde shuddered and moaned into the kiss. Tsukishima's hand went to grab Kuroo's hair and tugged it to the side while angling his head for better access into Kuroo's mouth, deepening the kiss. Kuroo didn't back down, he kissed him with the same intensity, tongue darting in Tsukishima's mouth, licking and sucking the breath out of him. His hands were on his back, pulling Tsukishima closer and closer until the only thing that separated them were their clothes. He dug his fingers on Tsukishima's smooth back, biting his lower lip and feel the tension in his shoulders. Tsukishima could practically feel the smirk on Kuroo's lips.

Tsukishima shifted his weight on his side and pushed Kuroo on the bed. Tsukishima noted the flush on Kuroo's face all the way down his neck, as he crawled on his knees to straddle him, placing his weight on Kuroo's pelvis. Tsukishima felt the hardness of Kuroo through his jeans and was satisfied by Kuroo's hiss through his teeth. Tsukishima leaned down and captured Kuroo's lips once again, a searing kiss that was all clashes of tongue and colliding of teeth. The kiss was wet, loud and lewd in all the right reasons, and Kuroo was afraid he'll faint from the lightheadedness the kiss caused.

Tsukishima was aware of the way Kuroo took deep inhales through his nose and decided to let him breathe. He kissed the corners of his mouth, licking and nibbling Kuroo's bottom lib before dragging his tongue to his neck. At first, he kissed the spot below his ear, where his jaw connected to his neck, then bit the sensitive flesh without warning. Kuroo' body arched as he whined, craning his neck to the side asking for more. Tsukishima licked and sucked hard at the growing bruise on Kuroo's neck, feeling him squirm underneath him.

"Ah-" Kuroo slipped his hands underneath Tsukishima's shirt, lifting it up while his fingers skimmed Tsukishima's chest. Tsukishima got the hint and pulled the garment off him before doing the same with Kuroo.

Kuroo was an attractive male specimen, he wouldn't deny that; but Kuroo shirtless was a new level of beauty that all he could do was stare. To his slender neck down to his broad shoulders, to his toned chest to his lean muscular arms, to his smooth abs down to the slope and tempting 'V' of his pelvis, the hair below his navel that travelled down, down-

"Are you gonna stare, or are you going to fuck me?" Kuroo's signature smirk was weakened by the intense coloring on his cheeks and ears.

"Nah." Tsukishima rolled his hips on Kuroo's hardened member before lifting himself off him. "You're body's hurting, right?" Tsukishima pulled Kuroo until he was on the edge of the bed. He spread his thighs, he was on his knees positioning himself between them and placed his palm flat on Kuroo's crotch.

Kuroo propped himself on his elbows and looked down at a grinning Tsukishima. Yes, his body was in pain-especially his hips, his knees, and his arms, basically his whole body was aching due to the brutal way Tsukishima fucked him raw last night- but there was no way in hell he's going to give Tsukishima the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Don't even bother denying it. I went to my brother's restaurant this morning and he told me you asked for the day off." He palmed Kuroo's hardness, pushing his hips down whenever his hips bucked towards his touch. "Was it because I fucked you hard last night?" Kuroo swallowed his snappy comeback as he saw Tsukishima dipped lower, his nose outlining the hardened member being trapped by his jeans.

Tsukishima's nimble fingers followed the trail of dark hair from Kuroo's navel until it stopped on the waistband of his dark jeans. His fingers worked efficiently, undoing Kuroo's belt and popped the button of his jeans. Kuroo could feel Tsukishima breathing down on him. His eyes widening as he watched Tsukishima stare back at him while he opened his mouth and captured the zipper between his teeth, dragging it down. Kuroo felt trapped in Tsukishima's dark gaze that he forgot to breathe.

"Just... fuck!" Kuroo flopped himself on the bed, unable to control his words.

"I may be an ass, but I am not cruel, Kuroo. I actually care for your well being." Kuroo could tell Tsukishima was speaking against his cock, his breath tickling the sensitive flesh. "So I'm gonna eat you out instead." Tsukishima shifted so that Kuroo's thighs were on his shoulders. He grabbed Kuroo's hips and dragged him closer until his ass was hanging on the edge of the bed. He pulled off Kuroo's jeans and underwear in one swift motion, eyes focused on Kuroo's semi-hard cock.

Kuroo's hands were on his face, embarrassed at the thought of Tsukishima's mouth on his entrance. He was sure he was going to explode from blushing too hard. HIs cause of death would pretty much be 'Death by embarrassment' and the primary suspect would be the six foot two, blonde, glasses wearing hottie that eats ass like mothafuckin groceries.

Tsukishima wrapped his hand at the base of Kuroo's cock, gripping it tight as his hand moved up to the head. He pumped relentlessly, his other hand pinning Kuroo's hips. Kuroo's thighs were trembling on his shoulders, the heels of his feet digging at his back as he continued the brutal pace of his hand until the head of Kuroo's cock was agonizingly purple. Tsukishima angled his head to the side, darting his tongue out to lick a stripe at Kuroo's balls. He heard Kuroo's hurried panting and felt his hips rise on his shoulders to gain more. Tsukishima was not a fan of licking another man's scrotum, but the way Kuroo's thighs quivered at that one lick sent most of his blood to his dick. And so he licked and he licked, and surprised Kuroo by sucking on them.

"Shit-fuck!" He cried out. He propped himself on his hands-deliberately ignoring his muscle's scream of mercy-gripping the sheets for dear life as he watched the lovely sight of Tsukishima- the glasses wearing asshole who says what's on his mind- sucking on his balls. Tsukishima's blonde hair tickled his thighs, and there was a slight fog on his glasses; god he looked hot. Kuroo's cock was hard against Tsukishima's fogged up glasses, as it laid there disregarded on his cheek. The continuous sucking and the wet noises Tsukishima made was too much for Kuroo. His cock was so hard it reached a level of pain not pleasure.

Tsukishima was well aware of this. He'd been sleeping with Kuroo for so long that he knows his reactions and his limit, and oh god he was near his limit. He looked up and was blessed to see him wrecked. His bed hair was disheveled more than ever, his pale cheeks, ears and neck were stained red, and his lips were swollen from their kiss and from Kuroo's biting. He was breathing in pants and there was drool on the side of his mouth. Yup, wrecked.

Tsukishima lets go of Kuroo's balls with a lewd pop. "Not yet~" His hand was back on Kuroo's cock but this time pumping him s l o w l y. "C'mon, Kuroo, I haven't eaten you out yet." He huffed against Kuroo's head.

Tsukishima's warm breath fanned against Kuroo's sensitive cock, and he bucked his hips desperately on Tsukishima's hand, silently pleading for the blonde to go faster. 

Kuroo whined, frustrated at the slow tugs at his cock. "Then fucking eat me out already, Tsukishima!"

"Uh-uh." Tsukishima placed his thumb on Kuroo's head, pressing hard at his slit. "I bet this," Tsukishima pressed harder until he felt a bead of pre-cum on his finger, "tastes nicer than your ass, don't you think?"

Kuroo gasped, almost coming right on the spot. "Do whatever you fucking want with me just make me come!"

"What do we say when we want something?" Tsukishima leaned in and licked Kuroo's pre-cum, tongue merely grazing the sensitive flesh.

"Please! Just-fuck!" Kuroo dug his heels dipper on Tsukishima's back, forcing him to inch closer.

"Good boy." Tsukishima huffed at Kuroo's head before placing him into his mouth.

Kuroo unabashedly moaned at the sensation of Tsukishima's hot mouth around his cock. He couldn't fight the jerk of his hips as Tsukishima sucked at his head hollowing his cheeks. Tsukishima pushed Kuroo back into the bed, his lower half lying on the mattress, and dipped his head lower to accommodate Kuroo's length. His hand was was raking Kuroo's stomach, his nails dragging across pale skin, and his other hand went underneath Kuroo's ass to hold him in place. Tsukishima sheathed his teeth and went lower until his mouth was stretched and full. Kuroo's tip was hitting the back of his throat almost triggering his gag reflex. Kuroo felt the tightness of Tsukishima's throat, the wet warm heat that engulfed his cock was dizzying and the noises that Kuroo made were not to be proud of.

"Oh fuck, oh, Jesus, fuck yes, there, just like that, fucking Christ!" 

Kuroo's mewls urged him on, bobbing his head up and down Kuroo's length and sucking hard at the tip. Tsukishima lets go of Kuroo's cock, a string of saliva connecting Kuroo's head from his mouth and smirked at Kuroo's state of undoing. Tsukishima licked at his reddened lips and hastily removed his fogged up, useless glasses. He folded them and placed it under the bed. Without his glasses, everything was blurred at the edges but he can still focus on Kuroo. With his gaze focused on Kuroo, he sucked hard at the head before saying:

"I want you to fuck my mouth."

Kuroo choked on his breath and shivered at Tsukishima's authoritative and ragged voice. Kuroo simply nodded and grabbed Tsukishima's hair, giving it an experimental tug. Without any warning, Kuroo thrusted his hips towards Tsukishima's hot mouth. His cock was buried in to the tilt. Kuroo was sure that every thrust hit the back of Tsukishima's throat, and it felt glorious. It was wet. It was hot. And most of all, it was fucking tight. Kuroo fucked Tsukishima's mouth in rapid short thrusts, the bed creaking at his speed. Tsukishima deep throated him like it was his fucking calling.

"Shit, that's tight! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Kuroo thrusted faster before stopping completely and gripped Tsukishima's hair tightly to keep him in place.

Tsukishima felt his gag reflex almost kick in as he found it hard to breathe through his nose. He tightened his throat around Kuroo's cock and moaned against it, knowing too well that the vibrations against his dick would rattle him. When Kuroo didn't let go, he darted his tongue out, went lower and playfully lick his balls.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Kuroo finally lets go and Tsukishima gasped for air. He was going to punish Kuroo for that but, suddenly, Kuroo was shaking, his hips jerking and a string of curses combined with his name was chanted. In a matter of seconds, strings of white hot cum flew and landed on Tsukishima's face. Did Kuroo just come?

Kuroo's hips were still bucking and Tsukishima did his best to anchor him down. He could practically feel the waves of his orgasm leaving him a panting, wanton mess.

After a while, when he was sure that Kuroo was finished, he stood up and wiped the cum on his face with Kuroo's clothes.

"I am so sorry, Tsukki. I thought I could last longer tonight but hot damn you give good head." Kuroo said weakly as he snuggled at his pillows. Kuroo looked down at Tsukishima's pants and saw the tent he was pitching. "You know," he said, smiling in daze, still high from his orgasm, "I could help you with that." He pointed at Tsukishima's crotch and grinned.

"Nice try, Kuroo." Tsukishima unbuckled his belt and unbottoned his jeans. He slid it off his hips and pooled at his ankles. He kicked it off and went to Kuroo's nightstand where he found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "But let me remind you that you're useless after an orgasm. So sleep there and let me take care of this."

"Don't fuckin smoke in here, Tsukishima!" The question of why Tsukishima was at the restaurant died on his lips. Ah who was he kidding, it was because of that freckled boy... It was always that freckled boy.

\-----

I posted a fan art about this fic at my tumblr: [@psychotic-cheesecake](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/psychotic-cheesecake), yup that's right i'm one of you. but tbh that art was my first post in tumblr so, aren't I a bundle of firsts! let's be friends y'all! *why the fuck did i use y'all?! jesus fuckin dammit, i promise i'm cool!*

          

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh this was way too long *wink wink*  
> glad you made it through hahaha...
> 
> So how was it? good? bad? bland? interesting? boring? hot? not hot? TELL MEH!!!
> 
> As usual, COMMENTS and KUDOS are very much appreciated and treasured and will do my best to reply aaaaannnnddd... JOHN CE- nah just kidding... EXCELSIOR!
> 
> P.S. I changed the rating to Explicit cause i brainstormed for quite a while and I had the whole story figured out and it involves a lot of fucking... yeah, so from Teens and up, to Mature, and now Explicit. Nice


	5. A Coward's Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 5 everyone!
> 
> First of all, this chapter is like a filler chapter. I'm really sorry.
> 
> Second, i am thankful for the comments and kudos... Like borderline hyped kid on sugar happy.
> 
> Third, the reason why i only updated today was because of a super typhoon that hit my city. Ever since the typhoon, we haven't had any electricity even today. I frequent coffee shops for their wifi and i'm thankful that they don't just kick me out.
> 
> Fourth, agsh why did i make this angsty?!

"Yamaguchi, you freckled bastard! Open this goddamn door this instant!" The pounding on the door was insistent, slowly pulling Yamaguchi away from sweet, sweet slumber. "I am not going anywhere until you show your face, Yamaguchi!" Another series of fists against their wooden door, "Open up so I can punch your face!"

"Ugh, Yamaguchi would you please tell your oompa-loompa friend that I'm gonna kill him if he doesn't stop." Tsukishima grumbled against his pillow.

Yamaguchi begrudgingly opened his eyes, cursed himself for calling dibs on the bed near the window because the sun burned his retinas. He stretched his limbs as he untangled himself from the sweet warmth of his burrito blanket, courtesy of Tsukishima, and groggily made his way towards the door. He was still half-asleep, eyes blurry and feet shuffling on the floor. The loud banging on their door continued, and HInata's death threats became sillier by the second.

"Hinata, it's too early for thi-" Hinata pushed himself against the door and entered their room, hitting Yamaguchi's face in the process.

"Ow! Son of a-" Pain shot up to Yamaguchi's nose and forehead. He touched his nose to check if there was blood. "Hinata, I'm fucking bleeding!" Yamaguchi wasn't sure if he was enraged or he was in pain, but he was sure he was going to get back at Hinata no matter what. "What the hell?!" Yamaguchi loomed over HInata  with a scowl, his hand pinching his nose.

"How dare you lead Kenma on like that?" Hinata shot back, not backing down and faced Yamaguchi head on. "Do you know how excited he was because of you?" Hinata poked Yamaguchi's chest so hard he was sure they were going to bruise. "For the first time in a very _very_ long time, he decided to talk to a stranger and give his number. Did you have any idea how difficult it was for him to text you last night, huh? Do you? Because I thought you would understand how hard it is for someone with anx-"

Yamagichi's shoved his hand over Hinata's mouth, successfully shutting the redhead up. "Let me get this straight," Hinata's was glaring at him. Yamaguchi carefully removed his hand and took a step back. He wasn't surprised to feel the heat of Tsukishima's chest on his back. Tsukishima was a light sleeper, he was bound to wake up by the early shouting. 

There was a tap on his waist, a silent order for him to turn around, and so he did. Yamaguchi knew that Tsukishima sleeps without a shirt on and he did his best to not look down. Tsukishima inspected the damage on his face, taking a hold of his chin and tilting it from side to side. Tsukishima's fingers hovered over his sensitive nose and carefully wiped the blood off with a tissue. "You barge in our room," Yamaguchi returned Hinata's glare but was watered down because he was glaring at him through the corner of his eye, "call me a freckled bastard, _gave_ me a nosebleed," Tsukishima finished wiping off most of the blood then nodded at Yamaguchi. Tsukishima flopped back on his bed, and hugged a pillow. Yamaguchi turned towards Hinata and looked down, a thing he learned from Tsukishimma, "without even bothering to consider or ask my side of the story." 

"What?" Hinata tilted his head to the side like a puppy, he was more confused than angry. "What's more to say? You led him on and didn't text him back. That earns you a spot in the list of assholes I know."

Yamaguchi sighed, the dull pain on his face simmered down the anger and he was just exhausted. And to think that he had a full ten hours of sleep.

"Hinata, I was asleep when he texted me. The moment I woke up, I called him and explained."

"I don't believe you." Hinata crossed his arms over his chest. "Who sleeps that early?"

"Have you checked your phone for any texts from him?" Yamaguchi didn't bother to wait for Hinata's reply and went for his phone on his bed for he was sure of Hinata's answer.

"Yeah, I've read that you-"

"Recent texts, Hinata." Hinata followed him and sat on his bed. "This is him apologizing," He tapped on the screen and showed Hinata their conversation, "this is him apologizing again; this is me asking for his facebook, instagram, and snapchat; this is him giving me his facebook, instagram, and snapchat after five minutes; and this is the time and place we're meeting on Saturday." Yamaguchi didn't want to sound smug for proving Hinata wrong but he failed at that too. Well, he was also extremely happy and excited to meet Kenma again, he could just imagine the flustered look on those brown, cat-like eyes.

"Oh," Hinata scratched his nose and brought his fingers up to Yamaguchi's face, "I'm sorry about this," Hinata offered a shy smile as he gently poked Yamaguchi's nose. It was like someone flipped a switch in Hinata, from angry little man to concerned little man in a flash. He turned to Tsukishima, "I'm sorry for waking you up, Tsukishima."

"How is it that our hall monitor didn't drag you out the moment you pounded at our door?" Tsukishima slid his hand under his pillow and frowned.

"Oh, well Akaashi-san was tied up." Hinata deadpanned.

"Tied up doing what?" Yamaguchi blinked at him.

"No, he was literally tied to his bed. I'm the one who loosened the knots when I heard a noise in his room."

"Wait, what?" Yamaguchi blinked at him.

"Kinky." Tsukishima commented, hands still roaming his pillow. "And now, my glasses are gone, great." Tsukishima gave up and groaned in his pillow.

"Where did you last saw it, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi joined him on his bed, sitting by Tsukishima's pillow with eyes focused for his friend's glasses.

"I think I left it at- Fuck." Tsukishima didn't need to say his name. Yamaguchi filled in the blanks all by himself. Of course he left it at Mr. Purrfect's place, where else could it be when that's the last place Tsukishima went to before sneaking back into their room last night. Of-fucking-course. Yamaguchi schooled the emotions that were clearly showing on his face and replaced it with a concerned smile.

"Ugh, I don't want to wear contacts today!" Tsukishima buried his head on his pillow.  

 "Cheer up, Tsukishima." Hinata jumped on Tsukishima's bed making the bed creak and the mattress bounce. "At least you know where you left it. You'll have it back in no time, right?" Hinata bounced at every word of his sentence.

Before Tsukishima could hit Hinata with a pillow, Hinata jumped off and went straight to the door. "Missed me!" Hinata poked out his tongue and hurriedly closed the door as he saw a pillow sailing through the air and was directed at his face. The pillow landed on the floor with a sad thud, not hitting its target.

"That shrimp is too energetic this early." Tsukishima shifted so that he was on his side, his blonde bed head inches away from Yamaguchi's hip.

Yamaguchi chuckled, wanting to ruffle Tsukishima's bed head, thoughts of Mr. Purrfect forcefully pushed aside as he gave a soft smile. "What time does your exams start, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi leaned on the headboard making himself comfortable.

Tsukishima snuggled near Yamaguchi's hip as his hand reached across Yamaguchi's lap and over the nightstand. His hand wandered on the surface until he grasped the loop on his phone case. He pulled his arm back and folded on Yamaguchi's lap as he squinted on his screen. "Four hours 'til judgement day." Tsukishima glared at his phone and slapped it back on the wooden surface. "I don't wanna leave this bed." Tsukishima whispered and wrapped his arm on Yamaguchi's lap and nuzzled closer. 

The gesture made his heart do backflips and stuck the landing. Yamaguchi was supposed to be used to this by now, the cuddling and the whispering, they've done all of these things before; all without the context of it being romantic at least that's what he believes.

'Damn, Yamaguchi, back at it again with the one sided feelings!' Yamaguchi thought as his fingers played with the blonde strands on Tsukishima's nape. Then, an idea popped on his head, and this time it's his turn to tap on Tsukishima's skin. Just like what Yamaguchi did, Tsukishima took the hint and turned over facing the door, exposing his back to him.

"I'll be back in a few, ok Tsukki?" Yamaguchi slipped on a pair of shoes and headed to the door.

"Yamaguchi, I know you have nice legs and all but I don't think that's appropriate." Tsukishima peaked behind his pillow and wiggled his brows at him.

"What?" Yamaguchi asked, hand on the knob.

"Pants."

"Oh!" Yamaguchi jumped and instantly turned red from embarrassment. He looked down at his black boxers with sashimi prints on it and winced.

\-----

Morning walks are one of the things Yamaguchi missed doing. It was one of the luxuries that he can no longer afford ever since he started college. Let's face it, in the mornings, he was either hungover or sleep deprived just like any other college student out there. That's why he was mildly surprised to see a couple of people on the school grounds actually doing something.

After putting on some pants, Yamaguchi put on his thick wool jacket and proceeded to the university canteen. Karasuno was a pretty big university, offering a wide variety of courses from different fields. That only meant buildings, a whole lot of them. Two to three buildings for the hard sciences, one for the social sciences, at least three for the arts plus a theatre, and so forth and so on. The dorms were separated by a stretch of land that contained sports facilities, cafeteria, gyms, and the parking lot. That stretch of land was covered with freshly mowed grass and trees, pathways and benches for people to use, and lamps that made it look like a park. Yamaguchi wanted to run and  enjoy the bite of the last remnants of winter, to feel the sweat on his back. God he missed being productive.

Yamaguchi passed a couple of people, some cuddled on the benches and sipped coffee, some jogged on the pathway, and some sprawled on the grass with a picnic blanket. It was five in the morning and people were out and doing something, that was new.

"Yamaguchi!"

Yamaguchi turned and saw a small figure waving at him. He smiled and waved back, jogging his way to her, feet almost slipping on the dewy grass.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He huffed. The petite blonde looked up and smiled at him. He raised his brow at her choice of clothing, "Sigma Beta Phi purple? I though first years were not allowed to join any fraternities or sororities?"

Yachi ignored his comment and opted for a hug, arms wrapping around Yamaguchi's waist and squeezed herself against him. "Good morning to you too, Tada-chan."

Yamaguchi couldn't help but smile and hug her back, tucking her in his arms and resting his chin on her head. The hug lasted a second longer and they were swaying their feet from side to side, laughing at the familiar feel of their hugs. "God I missed you." He squeezed her tight until he could feel her bony shoulders dig in his arms. 

"How come you don't hang with me anymore." Yachi looked up at him.

"The Arts are far from mine, you know that." Yamaguchi playfully dug his chin on Yachi's forehead. Since Tsukishima and Yamaguchi are in the Social Sciences buildings, he and Yachi lost touch. She was a Commercial Arts major and her building delved deeper into Karasuno territory, not to mention her plates that needed at least five hours to accomplish, but they still keep on touch via social media although not so often.

"Yeah but, I heard stories about your escapades and you didn't even invite me!" Yachi looked cute pouting, jutting her lower lip at him.

"I invite you every chance I get! It's not my fault you're busy all the time." Yamaguchi broke off the hug and kept her at arms length, looking down at her. "Now I know why." The purple fitting shirt that was cut low at her neck accentuated her lithe frame, and the gold emblazoned at her chest glinted every time the light hits it; the signature Sigma Beta'n outfit for a Sigma Beta'n girl.

"Hitoka-chan, could you grab a few of the fliers from the van." A tall brown haired lady walked their way, hands inside the pockets of the signature Sigma Beta Phi purple blazer, and eyes quietly assessing Yamaguchi. 

'Oh she's important.' He thought, squirming at her gaze.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Yachi snatched her arms away from him-Yamaguchi frowned at the lack of heat-and scurried to the parking lot. Yamaguchi noticed the way Yachi averted her eyes from the brown haired lady. Who wouldn't? She looks like the type that could eat you alive with just a pointed stare!

"Uhm... I better go." He was weary, and he almost jumped when she offered her hand to him.

"Misaki Hana," All he could do was stare at her hand, "and you are?"

"Oh, right!" He grasped her hand and shook it, "Y-Yamaguchi...Yamaguchi Tadashi, first year, Managerial Economics, male, loves french fries... and completely humiliating myself." He looked down at his hand, shaking her hand with vigor, "And I'm still shaking your hand, look at that." He lets go and blushed in embarrassment. He looked down and suddenly his old pair of converse fascinated him.

Misaki surprised Yamaguchi, snapping his head up, when he heard her chuckle. She gave him a warm smile, eyes twinkling and wrinkling at the sides. Yamaguchi's initial judgment of her turned over its head and left his jaw hanging. Her warm smile transformed her face, making her more friendly, more approachable.

"Nice to meet you, Yamaguchi-kun. How do you know Hitoka?"

"We've been friends since high school. She was the manager of our volleyball club." For some reason, he couldn't look her in the eye either, so he focused on her bangs instead.

"Huh, she didn't mention that." She flipped her hair to the side, revealing a studded ear. "Thank you for telling me, Yamaguchi-kun." Her eyes twinkled for some reason, slowly assessing and considering him. Yamaguchi felt naked and vulnerable under that gaze. Damn, she's intimidating.

'Why wouldn't Yachi tell her? It's like one of the happiest memories of high school. Unless-'

"Oh no," He whispered to himself, eyes widening at the reason of Misaki's gaze, "a-am I allowed to say that? Shit, maybe she didn't want to let you know. Oh god, you're not supposed to know, are you?" He was fibbing, big time. The thought of getting Yachi in trouble was enough to fill him with guilt. And the smirk that Misaki gave him did not help.

"Don't worry, Yamaguchi-kun," She sauntered towards him, eyes trained only to him. She looked up and leaned towards him, hands on his shoulders as she stood on her tiptoes to whisper next to his ear, "her secret's safe with me."

Yamaguchi felt himself heating up and shuddering as her breath tickled the shell of his ear. 'What the fuck?!' he thought, standing frozen on the spot.

"Misaki-san, here are the fliers!" Yachi returned with a bunch of ridiculously purple fliers, and Misaki turned around leisurely like nothing happened. Even with her back against him, Yamaguchi knows for a fact that her face did not show any traces of what she just did to him. And Yamaguchi did the same.

"Did you seriously ran from the parking lot to here?" Yamaguchi joked, poking at her sides, purposely avoiding Misaki's stare. Thankfully she ignored him and focused more on the purple blazer wearing lady.

"Thank you, Hitoka." She pulled one of the fliers and examined it. Yamaguchi could distinctly hear the smirk in her voice. "Call one of the others to help you post them and after that go to our booth and assist the other neophytes."

"Yes ma'am!" Hitoka pivoted on her foot, her side ponytail bouncing as she turned and ran.

"Here," Misaki turned around and handed him a flier, "we're having a food fest tomorrow by the parking lot. There's free food and drinks as long as you cast a vote." She gripped his hand, making him look up. Yamaguchi nervously swallowed and braved himself to look at her eyes. "I'll be saving a plate for you, Yamaguchi-kun." She looked up at him and smiled.

Yamaguchi nodded, flustered at the purple flier in his hand and remembered to be polite. He waved goodbye to a retreating Misaki Hana.

\-----

 Yamaguchi wasn't surprised to see Tsukishima slumped on his bed with the covers wrapped around his legs, his torso bare and inviting. He was reading a book, and squinting at the pages. The sun was up, bathing the room in soft yellows, the leaves and branches of the tree near their window casting shadows on their walls. Yamaguchi wanted to take a picture.

"Hey, I bought breakfast." Yamaguchi placed the food on the nightstand and proceeded to unpack them. "I mean, it's not Rare after Dark standards-you know, with soggy pancakes and jerky bacon- but it's food." The smell of rice, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes wafted in the air making Tsukishima sit up straight. Breakfast was a big part of Tsukishima's mornings, and Yamaguchi wanted to give Tsukishima a good one. 

"It's not my fault you slept like the dead." Tsukishima scoffed but eventually smiled at him, a genuine smile that warmed his chest. It wasn't those cheesy grins and toothy smiles that most associate with genuine smiles. The way Tsukishima smiled was not on his lips but on his eyes, the way it crinkled at the sides and that glint of joy that one can recognize as happiness. But that joy was short lived because for a moment, that glint of happiness was clouded with something that Yamaguchi could clearly identify. Tsukishima sat up and moved the nightstand away from the wall so it stood between them. Tsukishima sat comfortably on his bed while Yamaguchi sat on the carpeted floor with the nightstand between his stretched legs.

Tsukishima may have not said it, but Yamaguchi could hear the blame- not on the tone of Tsukishima's voice but- on Tsukishima's averted eyes. He knew that Tsukishima was still mad and he had no trouble showing it, the gesture may be small- his eyes avoiding his- but it spoke volumes to him. Years and years of friendship and fuck ups have led Yamaguchi to notice those small things. They were at the point of friendship that non-verbal cues were as loud as the verbal ones, hurts as much too.  

"Sorry, Tsukki." Yamaguchi pulled out two cans of coffee he got from the vending machine and handed one to Tsukishima. "Consider this my formal apology for yesterday," he raised his canned coffee, "and for future future fuck ups that only you could solve." They both shared a toast and sipped their coffee. Crisis averted.

They ate in comfortable silence, utensils clinking and food being chewed. The food was a little bland but it was a hearty breakfast nonetheless. He sat back against his bed, thankful that he remembered that one ritual of Tsukishima's that he stuck with ever since they were ten. His attention went back to his friend when he noticed Tsukishima having a difficult time picking up his food. He kept missing the tupperware and dropping food on the table. His vision was really giving him a hard time. From the start, Tsukishima never really liked contact lenses, he said that they were irritating and that it made his eyes water; and in close inspection, Yamaguchi came to know that Tsukishima was not wearing any contact lenses. He could only imagine the rest of Tsukishima's day. He almost offered to help him- mouth opening to form words and hands reaching for Tsukishima's spoon- but Tsukishima's scowl stopped him from uttering a single word.

'Damn Tsukishima and his damn pride.' He thought as he saw Tsukishima bring his spoon closer to his face and squint at the food. 'Just let me help!'

"Hey, Tsukki, did you know that Yachi's a Sigma Beta'n?" Yamaguchi blurted out, trying to change the subject and not dwell much on his failed attempts at helping.

"What?" Tsukishima dropped some of the rice on his spoon.

"Yeah," He picked up some of the rice and placed it in one of the plastic containers while Tsukishima wiped the part where the rice stuck, "I saw her wearing that purple shirt a while ago and was taking orders from a senpai." The thought of Misaki breathing on his ear made his cheeks and, especially, his ears hot. "I thought freshmen weren't allowed to join frats and soros."

"Well Sigma Beta Phi is an esteemed sorority, the only way in is via invitation. It's not like those other sororities where you can just pop out of nowhere and expect to be welcomed. So I'm guessing Yachi was invited, she didn't have a choice but to say yes, and decided what the hell. You know how Yachi is, she's a bit impulsive from time to time." Tsukishima leaned closer and closer until he was inches away from his face and squinted at him. 

"You're blushing." Tsukishima stated, not even bothered that his breath fanned on his face did nothing to cool him down. "Why are you blushing?"

"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi backed off but was met with the hard and immovable surface that was his bed's wooden frame.

"You are blushing." He inched closer and Yamaguchi couldn't take it. His hands went up to Tsukishima's face and pushed him away, he could feel Tsukishima's smile beneath his fingers, which made him blush some more. "Why don't you just tell me? It's not like I'll judge you or anything."    

Oh he won't judge him, alright, he'll just tease him 'til he's bright red and blabbering like an idiot. Yamaguchi looked for something, _anything_ , to change the subject, and then he saw it. Sprawled all over Tsukishima's bed are folded pieces of paper and he reached for those, snatching them and crinkling the pages. 

"Here, I'll quiz you." Yamaguchi retreated to his own bed, glad that he was away from him. Tsukishima continued to eat while he flipped through the pages. Tsukishima didn't even bother hiding his amused smile as he chewed his food. Yamaguchi scanned the pages and saw the various colored highlights on paragraphs, underlines and encircled words, and arrows on phrases at the corner of the pages and thought, 'This could pass as a rainbow flag.' He snickered despite doing the same thing to his readings. This was the typical way Tsukishima reviewed his readings, a myriad of colors and symbols that only two people could understand: Tsukishima and him. It was a funny thing, their friendship. They act and function like one being, knowing how each other thinks, what makes them tick, what makes them-well what makes Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi and what makes Tsukishima, Tsukishima. But, still, there were instances that surprise Yamaguchi about his friend, and he came to the conclusion that years and years of knowing a person does not mean that you can arrive at a concise conclusion about them. He learned that the hard way when he and Tsukishima had a fight regarding one of his bullies back in highschool.

He shook his head, willing himself to forget about the nasty fight and the memories that went with it. 'Move on,' he thought, 'you're in college now. No need to worry about these things!' His eyes caught the blaring orange of Tsukishima's highlights and stared at the pages. He read some of the paragraphs, gathered the important ones and construct his question in one sentence. He searched for the arrows for the circles that indicated the main points of the arguments, and followed the arrows that showed him Tsukishima's handwriting that summarized the answers on the borders of the page. Yamaguchi made sure that he got the answers right before checking if Tsukishima was ready.

"What is justice?"

"Plato, Aristotle, or Hobbes?" Tsukishima lifted a brow. How he looked so smug without his glasses, eyes squinting at everything, baffled him. 

"All of them." Feeling brave, he smirked at him.

Tsukishima paused, gently tapping his foot as he thinks. Yamaguchi could actually pinpoint the exact moment when Tsukishima finally figured out the answer, weaving the words together effortlessly, stating facts as if in a timeline, and summarizing his answer in a concise sentence at the end. 

"Well done, Tsukki!" Yamaguchi clapped, he was actually impressed. "But the question is, can you write that down on paper?" Yamaguchi considered, and shook his head. There was no doubt that Tsukishima, even with very problematic vision, can and will. "Do you want me to ask another one? Or should I ask one of the easier questions." Yamaguchi knows for a fact that the easier ones were the pages that were clean and have no highlights on them. So he made a show of flipping the pages until he came a cross a clean one, mushed between two rainbow color highlighted pages.

"Bring it on."

\-----

The hallways of Karasuno was really a sight to see. Everywhere you look tells a story, be it the graffiti filled wall with posters and an almost half empty box of ribbed condoms taped to the wall with a sticky note saying: 'the only protection you need'; or the students who sat on the floor cramming for their papers with cups of double shot espressos stacked like a staff and taped together with duct tape; or those who were sprawled on the corners wearing pyjamas and onesies that sang in perfect harmony; or the typical makeout sessions of couples that bordered on sex. Karasuno was a safe haven for these kinds of people.

'My people.' Yamaguchi thought as he took his time on his way back to the dorms. Fridays were, luckily, the most stress free day of his week. He has two morning classes and a four hour free period until his next class which is only an hour long. And Yamaguchi has plans on spending that four hour free period by lounging in their room and freshen up his skills in playing video games.

The walk back to their dorms was a long one, so he decided to take a less traveled route. It was one of those places that he had stumbled upon while sneaking back into their room in an ungodly hour, not to mention the state of his sobriety which was non-existent during that night. He remembered being shitfaced drunk that he decided to jump off the wall instead of grabbing on one of the low hanging branches of a nearby tree. He was thoroughly intoxicated that he didn't feel the snap of his ankle as he landed on muddy ground; Yaku had a field day nagging at him like an incessant mother and purposely yanking his foot as he placed the bandages on his feet. And when he saw the flashlights from the distance, the only hiding place was the willow tree. The particular willow tree was unkept- just like the building behind it- leaves and branches hanged low that it touched the ground like a curtain. The leaves and branches hid the strong and sturdy trunk, and their volume dwarfed the tree's size. It was the perfect hiding place for a drunk and sober Yamaguchi. And later that night, when the security guard went away, Yamaguchi wobbled out of the tree's protection and called Tsukishima to come get him. It was then that Yamaguchi came to know one of Tsukishima's smoking spots and escape routes, and its close distance to their dorms without walking through the school's parking lot.   

Their dorm wasn't really the best in the university, and it wasn't the worse either. Let's just say that for every positive thing about their dorm, there exists a negative one that balances it out. For example, they have excellent wifi signal. You can play online without the problem of lagging or low pings, but the number of outlets are severely limited; yes they can plug in extension cords but they won't risk over surging the electricity like the last time. Yamaguchi could still remember the embarrassing, oh-not-so-girly shriek from Bokuto-san as the lights exploded in the whole building. Yes, they always have hot water but the pipes were so old and rusty that they had to place a sock on shower heads and faucets to filter the water. Yes, visitors were allowed to come and go in their dorms and can stay overnight, but the dorms are known to be haunted so if you hear some footsteps on the ceiling or smell the scent of lighted candles, that may be Yumi- the broken hearted girl who jumped off the building because the news of her relationship with the professor broke out and she lost her scholarship- just saying hi. It's no big deal if you have balls of steel and can ignore the silent cries of the dead late at night. No big deal at all.

That's why, Yamaguchi was _very_ _thankful_ that their room was at the third floor and near the window, so he could just jump off when he thinks he wanted to end his pitiful existence. But, alas, depressed Yamaguchi was no longer here, and was replaced with a slightly even better Yamaguchi- the Yamaguchi 2.0. This model has more confidence, is no longer a virgin, can hold his liquor, and last but not least, this Yamaguchi is slightly less of a coward than the previous one. And as evidence of this courage and bravery, Yamaguchi speed walked past their hall monitor's room, avoiding an awkward conversation that involved Akaashi Keiji being tied up. I did say that it was slightly braver, didn't I?

Their room was at the end of the hallway and the lock on their door was very easy to pick that when you budge a card on the slit of the locked door, it would swing open. That's why Yamaguchi was never worried in losing his keys or forgetting them because he could just use his i.d. and he's in. But for precaution, and not getting caught sliding his i.d. through the slit like a thief, he opened his bag and searched for the keys. His hands blindly rummaged through his stuff, and when he couldn't find them, he decided to look inside his bag. But he was busy looking for the keys that he didn't notice a tall man standing by their door; and Yamaguchi being the airhead that he is, bumped into him. 

"Oh, sorry!" 

"That's ok."

Yamaguchi looked up, startled by the man's height. Yamaguchi wasn't small. In fact, he grew five more centimeters since their graduation, so meeting people who were taller than him was always a surprise.

The man who had crazy bed hair looked down at him, and Yamaguchi instantly felt like he was twelve again. He felt like he was in the sandbox in their school's playground, just him minding his own business and building a sand castle, then one of those famous kids in the neighborhood would stroll by and grab everybody's attention. The kids in the playground would gather around him, and Yamaguchi would stay in the sand box wondering, 'Why is that kid liked by everyone when all he had to do was exist and intimidate them?'

Yamaguchi had that feeling when the tall man looked down at him and smiled. He had this suspicion that he was popular by default, and Yamaguchi wanted to know why. Was it his tall and lean body that gave the impression that he could lift you up without breaking a sweat? Or was it his inquisitive whiskey colored eyes, that stare that made you feel like an experiment, eyes observing every little thing about you. Or maybe just by the fact that the guy standing in front of him was absolutely, positively hot with disheveled raven colored hair, and an easy going smile that instantly invites people in despite him looking down on you.

"Uhm... How can I help you?" Yamaguchi asked despite the fact that he almost choked on his own spit trying to formulate a sentence.

"This is your room?" The tall man leaned on the wall, crossing his arms in front of him and openly eyed at Yamaguchi.

"Yes," Yamaguchi finally found the key and slotted it to the door's knob. "do you need something?" Feeling cautious, he didn't swing the door open and waited for the tall man to reply instead.

"Ah, you see," The tall man nervously scratched the back of his neck and chuckled to himself while looking away from him, "I was told that this was my... friend's room?"

The small gesture ebbed away some of Yamaguchi's caution towards him. In a surge of bravery, he lifted his brow at him, "You don't sound so sure."

"I've been knocking at this door ever since I got here and I kinda wanted to surprise him. But seeing that you're not my friend, I think I got the wrong room." The tall man pushed himself away from the wall. "Sorry to bother you."

He was about to walk away but Yamaguchi's manners didn't let him. His mother didn't raise an asshole after all.

"Wait," Yamaguchi blindly grasped at him and he got the tall man's forearm, "What's the name of your friend? Maybe I can help."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother." He scratched the back of his neck again, a gesture Yamaguchi quickly associated with the tall man being nervous. He made an effort to appear small by slouching and tensing his shoulders but, sadly, it wouldn't work when you have legs for days.

"Not at all. I have hours to spare before my next class. So what's his name?"

"Tsukishima. His name is Tsukishima Kei."

Yamaguchi's hand twisted the key into the lock too fast and too hard that he hurt his hand. Son of a bitch, that hurt! "Oh, Tsukki!," Yamaguchi looked down and nursed his wrist. Yup, it's swollen. They really need to change that knob because as easy it was to open without a key, it was as difficult to open with a key. "He's my roommate. Do you need something from him?"

Yamaguchi was too busy massaging his wrist that he didn't catch the way the tall man flinched when he used his bestfriend's nickname. Or the way his facial features changed, from shy and nervous to standing up to his full height, all confident and self-assured. Or when the tall man squared his shoulders and stood inches away from him, just to lean his way and inspect his face.

The moment he found out the changes that occurred to the stranger by his door, it was too late. The tall man's face was so close to his that he felt his raven black hair close to his dark brown locks, he went cross-eyed for a moment. He stood right there in his personal bubble that Yamaguchi jumped back and banged his head on the door. He yelped in pain and in surprise as the tall man eyed his face with a grin.

"Actually," the tall man didn't back off but tilted his head closer, "he needs something from me." His voice went an octave lower and Yamaguchi hated the way he shook, feeling threatened and intimidated by the tall man's size. "You see," The tall leaned back- thank god- but didn't took a step back, maintaining the distance between him and Yamaguchi, "he left his glasses at my place last night. He left after giving me one hell of a blowjob and I didn't even got the chance to get him off."

Yamaguchi didn't have a time to breathe and sort the various emotions that he felt because he was once again in a state of panic when the tall man lifted both of his hands and placed them on the wall, effectively caging him. "So would you help a brother out?" The tall man whispered.

"I-I don't know what you m-mean." He stuttered. His heart was beating fast that he's pretty sure all the blood was on his face, dusting his face red. He wasn't really a fan of people getting this close-well, it's a different story when he's drunk- and he only allowed a few people to invade his personal space. This man wasn't one of them.

"C'mon man, it's simple." Yamaguchi looked up and saw the devilish grin that he was giving him. "You tell me where he is and I'll pay him back for last night. See, simple."

"Why don't you just c-call him and a-ask?" Yamaguchi pressed himself closer to the door as he felt the tall man move closer.

"I could do that but he's in the middle of exams right now." The tall man's breath fanned his face, "Oh I have an idea." Is it normal to be scared at a smug smile?

The tall man pulled out a pair of black rimmed glasses-that were unmistakably Tsukishima's- from his pocket, and hanged them on his shirt. The tall man's long fingers lingered on the exposed skin of his chest making him blush harder.

"Why don't you give this to him when you see him. And tell Kei that he left it at Kuroo Tetsurou's place will you?" The tall man tipped his head up to level them with his eyes, "That's my name by the way, Kuroo Tetsurou. Don't forget it, ok, freckles-kun?" Kuroo's toothy grin and piercing whiskey colored eyes pinned him in place.

Yamaguchi looked down, unable to stare at those eyes anymore, and mumbled a stuttering response.

"What was that?"

"Y-yeah, I'll... I'll tell him."

"That's a good boy, freckles-kun." The tall man, Kuroo, patted his head and finally took a few steps back. "I'm leaving Kei's precious glasses to you, so take care of it, alright? I'll see you soon. Bye bye!"

When Kuroo was out of sight, Yamaguchi sighed in relief. 

"What the fuck?!"

\-----

It was three in the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and Yamaguchi was sweating for a whole different reason. He sat in the corner of the room, while their balding professor monotonously talked about credit and loans like a robot. And here he was thinking about Tsukishima's glasses that hung from his shirt. 

After his encounter with- who he assumed was- Mr. Purrfect, a.k.a Kuroo Tetsurou, his legs gave out under him and he slid down their door. He took deep breaths to calm his heart and the overflow of emotions. He felt fear, intimidated, awed, pissed, hurt, and surprised; and he felt them all at once. And in order to take control of his body, Yamaguchi did what his therapist from years ago told him to do:

He took deep breaths... In and out... In and out.

 _That's it, you're doing a good job, Tadashi. Just breathe, the only way to know that you have control is to know that you're alive. When we're alive, we can do anything, so breathe. That's right, inhale... exhale... Now, what was the first thing you felt? So you felt awed? Why? Oh, so you thought that he looked attractive and that he was a good guy. Ok, that's good. What's next? You were afraid? You were afraid because you thought he was going to do something to you? Like what? It's only natural to be on your guard in case of bodily and emotional harm, you know this and we're passed this. So what did you feel next? Of course you felt intimidated, he's probably taller and stronger than you. I'm guessing you were pissed because you felt all of these things, and that made you think that you were pathetic and weak. Well I'm telling you, ,Tadashi, that you are not weak. He just caught you off-guard. You shouldn't make a big deal out of it because he's sure as hell will forget that encounter. So cheer up, ok. So what if he's Mr. Purrfect and he's a really, really attractive guy? I know it hurts to know that he's better looking than you, and that Tsukishima prefers his company so much so that he risks getting out of the University just to see him. You're Tsukishima's best friend, years and years of knowing Tsukishima and sharing memories with him weighs more than hours of fooling around, remember that._ _He's not gonna leave you the first chance he'll get, he's not like that. You of all people should know that._  

"Hey," an elbow jabbed at his side, bringing him back to the present, "you ok? You're kind of spacing out."

Yamaguchi blinked at his senpai and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Ennoshita-senpai, I'm kind of distracted."

"With what? And please don't call me senpai, I'm like months older than you." His senpai whispered and slid his notebook to his line of sight.

"Thanks, uhm, Ennoshita-san." Yamaguchi gripped his pen tight and started copying Ennoshita's neat writing. "I don't want to talk about it."

"C'mon, Yamaguchi, we've shared a wonderful night of fucking and cuddling. I thought we're closer now?"

Yamaguchi almost dropped his pen at his senpai's words, face instantly burning up and saliva almost choking him at the sudden memory. And Ennoshita's snigger was not helping at all.

"We were both drunk, Ennoshita-san! And it was hardly wonderful!" Yamaguchi harshly whispered at Ennoshita who was silently laughing.

"You wound me, Yamaguchi." Ennoshita brought his hand on his shirt in  mock hurt, "I thought we had something special? But seriously though, what's bothering you? A boy? A girl? A professor? Tell me, maybe I can help."

"Why do you care, anyway?" 

"What, is there something wrong with helping a kouhai? Believe it or not, that night we spent together meant something for me, ok? It was my wake up call that I really needed to fix things up with Ryuu, so please let me help you." When he saw that Yamaguchi was not going to budge, he added, "Plus, I think whatever it is that's bothering you is much more interesting than listening to Professor Jiggly over there. So spill, Yamaguchi, that's an order from your commander."

"Commander? Are you listening to Hamilton again?"

"Yeah. Tanaka got addicted when I played one song in my car this morning. Don't be surprised if he keeps calling you sir all of a sudden. And don't change the subject, Yamaguchi."

Damn, how many times did he sigh today?

"Tsukishima's FUBU was at our door a while ago. He brought Tsukishima's glasses 'cause he forgot it at his place last night, and he asked me to give it to Tsukki." Yamaguchi's eyes drifted to the glasses on his shirt and remembered Kuroo's invasion of his personal space.

"And? There's gotta be more to this story." Ennoshita made himself comfortable by leaning back on his chair and crossed his arms in front of him, while angling his body to face Yamaguchi. They were almost at the back of the class so it was fine. "Or else you wouldn't be this bothered about it."

Yamaguchi gave up. There was no point keeping it in when he was about to do something that will rattle him for the rest of the day. He placed the pen over his notebook and turned to his side to face Ennoshita, completely ignoring Professor Jiggly's monotonous voice as he droned on and on about interest rates. But before telling him about his encounter with Kuroo Tetsurou, Yamaguchi looked around to make sure that the Professor will not catch them. And sure enough, Professor Jiggly talked while almost all of his students were asleep or trying hard not to. His professor's name was actually James Kentaro, part British and part Japanese professor that brings people to sleep just by speaking. He has this ability to make people drowsy, and it was super effective.

"This guy, Kuroo Tetsurou, was waiting in front of our room this morning, waiting for his friend. I asked if I could help him find this friend of his and to my surprise it was Tsukki. At first I thought he was a good guy, 'cause he seemed harmless and approachable but then he just transforms into this..."Yamaguchi wildly gestured with his hands, unable to find the right words, "you know?"

"Alright, I understand." He didn't.

"No, you don't understand. He invaded my personal space, Ennoshita-san. My personal space!" Whisper-yelling worked wonders. "Do you know how I value mine? He spoke right in front of my face. Right here!" To prove a point, Yamaguchi leaned in really close that he could see Ennoshita's long lashes. 

"Yeah... Do you know how contradicting you sound right now?" Ennoshita whispered, completely unfazed. 

"And now I'm supposed to give these glasses to Tsukishima and tell him that Kuroo dropped it off." Yamaguchi groaned and pulled at his hair, loosening his hair tie and making some strands to fall on his face. "My point is, the guy is an eleven out of ten and he's screwing Tsukki, and I'm supposed to... he ordered me to... Fuck, what the hell am I gonna do?"

"First of all, nice going with your words there, buddy. I understand all of it." Ennoshita playfully jabbed Yamaguchi's side with his elbow. "Second, I can't believe you haven't confessed to Tsukishima about your feelings yet! You scream his name during sex and you guys are one legal document away from being a married couple, what the hell? And third," Ennoshita leaned, "He's just a fuck buddy. You know, of all people, that fuck buddies don't last especially Tsukishima's. He doesn't stand a chance. So what I want to know is why are you so rattled about meeting this guy?"

"God, could you be any louder?" Yamaguchi looked around in panic and was thankful that the person behind him was sound asleep, the girl on his left was busy typing at her computer, the guy in front of him bobbed his head every now and then, and the girl on Ennoshita's right was drooling on her notebook. "Tsukishima and I have this silent understanding of things ok,-"

"Again, married couple."

"and one of those is minding your own business, especially 'business' about sex.-"

"A stupid arrangement if you ask me."

"Oh my god will you please let me talk?!"

"Yamaguchi Tadashi, do you have something to share?" 

The students who were pretending to listen straightened up, and turned to his direction simultaneously like they choreographed the move. Yamaguchi's face started to heat up, and instead of looking straight on to their professor's eyes, he looked down at his poorly written notes. Ennoshita, on the other hand, was shaking from suppressed laughter. 

\-----

Yamaguchi dragged his feet towards the third building feeling down and crappy. Professor Jiggly nagged the whole ten minutes of the class. Now, in normal circumstances, that would be good thing- and amazing thing actually; but when an angry professor nags at you, no matter his stature or demeanor, you will always feel like you have degraded to the lowest of the low, like you're two inches tall. That's how crappy Yamaguchi felt as he drudged down the familiar path. He checked his watch to double check the time so he won't be waiting for too long. He spotted a comfortable area under the shade of a tree in front of the building's entrance. He crouched down and leaned his back on the tree's trunk as he waited for his blonde, not-so-bespectacled friend. 

'Oh right, Tsukki's glasses.' He made sure that the glasses were still there, hanging on his button up, its presence always there like burning through the fabric of his shirt and searing his skin. He didn't like the feeling but he's afraid that if he loses or breaks it, Tsuishima would be royally pissed, so he left it there right where Kuroo placed them. Kuroo a.k.a Mr. Purrfect, the infamous FUBU that occupied most Tsukishima's nights ever since he made the stupid decision of giving Tsukishima's number to Akaashi's boyfriend, Bokuto, was in one word: intimidating. Thoughts of Kuroo invaded his head and he shivered at the thought of him getting close to him, the feeling of their height difference sink in, the sinking feeling of being _less._

It wasn't long before students started milling out of the entrance doors. He was looking out for a blonde, not-so-bespectacled friend of his when his eyes caught a flash of neon pink. Yamaguchi zoomed in on those pink pants and waved both of his arms. When he was close enough, Yamaguchi was laughing his ass off.

Tsukishima was wearing a low crotch, neon pink, and leopard printed pants, paired with a white crop top with that green turtle meme that flashed several inches of Tsukishima's toned stomach. Yamaguchi was laughing so hard that his sides and stomach were in pain, and tears were in his eyes.

"Oh my god, Tsukki- _hahaha -_ what the hell are you wearing?!" He wheezed out in between laughs.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it off mister I-don't-know-whose-bedroom-I-just-popped-out-off."

"Mean Tsukki!" Yamaguchi tried to calm himself down, placing a hand on Tsukishima's arm for support before falling over feats of laughter again. 

 Tsukishima was too impatient for Yamaguchi's giggles to die down and decided to take action to save some of his dignity. Tsukishima slumped his body against Yamaguchi, making the poor brunette freeze. He strategically placed his head against the crook of Yamaguchi's neck, his lips making contact against the freckled skin. He felt Yamaguchi flinch when his arms encircled his back. Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima smirked on his skin, and that deepened the red in his cheeks. A few more of these and Yamaguchi might as well spontaneously combust.

"This day is the worst." Tsukishima grumbled against Yamaguchi's freckled neck

Yamaguchi swallowed, braving himself to pat Tsukishima's head. "There, there. What happened?"

Tsukishima shifted his hold so his hands rested on Yamaguchi's waist in order for Yamaguchi to continue patting his head. "There's this curly haired second year who had food poisoning and he puked all over me. I didn't have time to run back to the dorms to grab a new set of clothes or even a shower. It's a good thing Professor X took pity on me and directed me to the lost and found. Ugh, I hate that place! These are the only ones that weren't covered in cum, vomit, and god-knows-what-substance. There's even a fucking furry suit that smelled like sweaty balls!"

Yamaguchi took an experimental whiff at Tsukishima's hair and almost gagged because of the stench. "Oh my god you smell disgusting." He gave a little push but Tsukishima didn't budge and only held on tighter. Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima's hot breathy chuckle next to his ear.

"Ugh you suck."

The way Tsukishima snuggled closer to Yamaguchi's skin made him question his life choices. Like why did he allow himself to be this guy's lackey? Why did he eventually fell for this salty six foot two blondie? Why didn't he push him away when he was in too deep and helplessly crossing a tight rope every single damn day? Why didn't he confess and get all the drama and feelings over with? Why? WHY?!

By now, Tsukishima was way too comfortable leaning over Yamaguchi, but Yamaguchi was far from being comfortable. He could feel Tsukishima's glasses pressing in on his chest, a constant reminder of Kuroo Tetsurou. Yamaguchi was aware of the consequences of what one sentence could do. It could hurt him, it could hurt Tsukishima. A mutual assured destruction. But maybe that's why Yamaguchi decided to tell him, to know that he's not the only one who will be harmed because deep down Yamaguchi wanted to hurt Tsukishima too. In a way, it was a sort of revenge for years and years of unrequited feelings towards his friend. Yamaguchi was well aware that it wasn't Tsukishima's fault that he didn't feel the same way, and that Tsukishima was not to blame for the constant touching that bordered on being too much. But for some reason, Yamaguchi blamed Tsukishima for leading him on. And that made Yamaguchi vengeful, taking the opportunity to give his friend distress.

"Speaking of sucking..." Yamaguchi pushed him a little just enough for Tsukishima's lips away from his neck. It was a good thing that Tsukishima understood the gesture because he stepped back and cocked his head to the side with an amused smile on his face.

Tsukishima knew that sex jokes were one of the indicators of Yamaguchi's state of nervousness so he leaned back and watched his friend spew inappropriate humor and turn beet red. But the jokes never came.

"A Kuroo Tetsurou stopped by this morning. Why didn't you tell me Mr. Purrfect was _that_  hot?" Tsukishima's smile disappeared and was replaced with a neutral expression. With just seven ordinary words, connected and constructed into a sentence, Tsukishima turned cold. And because of that, Yamaguchi fought the urge to apologize and sidestepped his friend. He continued walking with Tsukishima trailing behind, a change to the common routine. "Anyway, he told me to give this to you." He untangled the glasses from his shirt and held it up. "Said that you left it at his place last night."

Tsukishima snatched the glasses from his hand and continued walking beside him this time.

Yamaguchi dug the hypothetical knife deeper and twist. "You know, you should call him and pay him back in _kind_." He poked Tsukishima's side and was rewarded with a glare. 

"Shut up, Yamaguchi." Tsukishima trudged ahead.

An automatic "Sorry Tsukki" was his reply. The negative degrees in his voice was a victory for Yamaguchi, although that victory was hurting him and his friend. You may be wondering why it's such a big deal for Tsukishima for the two of them- Yamaguchi and Kuroo- to not meet. The thing is, they have a silent agreement that certain part their lives- more specifically their sex lives- should never intersect with whatever/friendship they have. It was one of those lines that should never ever be crossed. It was a rule to protect them from each other, whether they know of it or not is the question.

The walk back to their dorms was awkward to say the least. Tsukishima blasted music off his headphones and walked in front of Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi on the other hand, shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the back of Tsukishima's head, and possibly watch the sway of his hips despite the monstrosity of the neon pink, leopard pants. He regretted saying those things to Tsukki. He hated feeling bad for hurting him. He hated the fact that if Tsukishima was hurting, he was hurting too. How pathetic is that? How can someone's feelings and being be so dependent on another person? How low can he get? That's how they spent their time walking the long way to their dorms, Tsukishima listening to music and Yamaguchi opening and closing his mouth, no words coming out thinking that whatever he says will never be heard. 

In their dorm room, Tsukishima headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower while Yamaguchi slumped on his bed, feeling miserable. He took a peak at his phone and decided to charge the damn thing despite it having fifty percent of battery life. He opened the drawer on their nightstand to retrieve the charger and plugged it in. A flash of red and black caught his eye when he was about to close the drawer, then an idea popped in his head. It took some time assembling and preparing the xbox one, plugging in wires and tweaking the setting in their flat screen that hung on the wall (a gift from Akiteru saying "Not having a TV in my room sucked when I was in college"). 

"Yamaguchi!" Tsukishima called out from the bathroom.

"What is it, Tsukki?"

"Towel." Tsukishima's hand was out and waving at him.

"Oh right." Yamaguchi forgot that he used the spare towel in the bath room that morning. He went to Tsukishima's drawer and retrieved a clean towel and handed it to Tsukishima's waiting hand.

"Hey, Tsukki, do you want to shoot some zombies?"

Yamaguchi waited for Tsukishima on the carpeted floor. He leaned against his bed frame, holding the controller on one hand and his phone on the other. Yamaguchi was texting and simultaneously checking out Kenma's snapchat. There was one particular snap that made him smile, it was a picture of him lying on his back with his DS on his chest and a small kitten lying on top of the DS. The caption read: The DS was warm and Jinouga purred. It was adorable. 

"I forgot to play this game." Tsukishima moved Yamaguchi's legs for him to sit between them. Tsukishima's hair was damp and Yamaguchi was tempted to run his fingers through them. Yamaguchi grabbed the towel on Tsukishima's shoulders and began drying his hair. Tsukishima slouched, his back fitting snugly on Yamaguchi's chest and Yamaguchi stretched his arms to reach Tsukishima's head. "You have to teach me, Yamaguchi."

\-----

"No, no Tsukki, don't shoot at the cars!" Yamaguchi watched as Tsukishima's character hauled a pipe bomb at one of the cars.

"That's ok, I have like five more of those plus a molotov. We're good."

"No we're not-" as if on cue, the pipe bomb exploded. Hordes and hordes of zombies began climbing off walls, fences and sewer pipes as the car alarm went off, "I only have one med kit and I am not spending it on you. Again."

"Chill, ok. I got this." Tsukishima's character threw pipe bombs upon pipe bombs, molotov bombs after another, and sprayed the zombies with bullets.

"Oh no no no. You are not getting all of the points here, Tsukki." Yamaguchi switched weapons to a rapid firing gun, reloading just in case. Yamaguchi held down the firing button and watched the blood, guts, and zombie parts fly like confetti.

Now this is quality bonding moment between friends. They were leaning against Yamaguchi's bed frame, their shoulders touching as one of them moved. Their legs were tangled, Yamaguchi didn't know where his legs were but he was sure they were under Tsukishima's, tucked under Tsukishima's thick blanket. The window was closed and was fogging up due to the fact that they've been playing for five hours and it was probably midnight by now. Their legs were tucked and they felt deliciously warm, especially next to each other. There were times when one would move one leg but fail because it was caught over the leg of the other. Yamaguchi couldn't be happier.

He took a peek at Tsukishima and was delighted to see him engrossed in the game. He was smiling at the screen, lights danced against the lenses of his glasses, and his cheeks were pink from playing for hours in a warm room. It was one of those moments where his impulses screamed at him to _tell him!_ so much so that his hands were shaking, itching to play with Tsukishima's nape.

"What are you doing, Yamaguchi, I'm dying here!"

"Tsk," Yamaguchi looked away and saw that Tsukishima's health was dwindling down, "why are you standing in acid goop? Here, have some chips."

"Just use the med kit on me!" The zombie horde was thinning out and they were now in the sewers with Tsukishima holding the flashlight.

"Uhm, no. I told you I'm saving this up for me. Go find your own kit."

"Save me or I throw another pipe bomb."

"Yeah right. You used all of your pipe bombs, genius."

"..."

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"Saw it on one of the crates along the way. Now heal me." 

"Ugh... If you die, you're buying dinner."

"Yamaguchi, it's midnight, do you seriously think there'll be delivery service at this hour?"

"C'mon, you know that Hinata sells instant ramen."

"Alright. Now heal me before I blow this place up."

"Ok ok. Geez."

"Why does it look like you're giving me head when you heal me?"

Maybe that's where you're injured." 

"What, so you suck my dick and all of a sudden I'm healthy?"

"Yup, one hundred percent heal. You can ask Kuroo, I'm sure he'll tell you the advantages of a blow job."

'Oh shit, did I just say that?!' Yamaguchi panicked, too scared to even look at Tsukishima.

 Tsukishima paused the game and clicked his tongue. "We need to talk."

"Wha- there's nothing to talk about, Tsukki. I already know that you have fuck buddies, it's no big deal."

 "It is a big deal. It's a big deal because- will you face me, Yamaguchi."

Yamaguchi didn't want to. He took a breath, placed the controller on the floor and turned his body towards Tsukishima.

"Look at me. Don't shake your head, _look_ at me."

It was that tone of voice that Yamaguchi dreaded, that cold and stern tone that demanded obedience. It made him shiver involuntarily. When Yamaguchi looked up, Tsukishima was already looking at him intensely, brown eyes pulling him in, making his heart jump to his throat.

"Kuroo is just someone I sleep with, ok. He's not anything special or someone you need to worry about. He's convenient for me."

Before, Yamaguchi was afraid of Tsukishima's reaction, on how he'll handle the fact that he met Kuroo. But now, Yamaguchi was confused. "Why would I be worried?"

"Because-" Tsukishima paused, gathering his thoughts into a coherent sentence, "because you freak out whenever I hang out with other people."

"What?" He was surprised and a tiny bit offended.

"Whenever I make a friend or be close with someone, you close up like a clam and have a hangover the next day."

Yamaguchi scoffed. Oh now he's offended. Maybe a bit angry, but definitely offended. "Oh wow, do you really think I'm that pathetic? That I get drunk whenever you find a hole to fuck?" What he said was true, for the most part, but Yamaguchi was to proud to admit it in front of him. "Oh my god, how narcisistic can you get? My world doesn't revolve around you, Tsukki. You can fuck whoever you want, go out with whoever is available. You do you, ok. Just know that I have a life outside you too." Yamaguchi surprised himself by not screaming at this point, or his voice not wavering.

It was Tsukishima's turn to scoff at him. "Oh really now," Tsukishima said, still doubting Yamaguchi, "so you're telling me you do not have the urge to just go and fid yourself a fuck boy."

Yamaguchi gaped at this. He sucked a breath, "You know what, I thought you know me better than that." He didn't bother looking at Tsukishima, afraid for him to see the defeat in his downcast eyes. He was still mad, boiling actually, but at this point he saw no reason to argue when Tsukishima had the ability to. See right through him. 

He stood up, shaking off the blankets on his feet. He lifted the window and the midnight breeze welcomed him.

"you're just proving me right, you know."

"heh, yo think you're always right." And then he jumped.

\-----

"Hey... I'm aorry for calling this late... Yeah, sorry again... Uhm... Can we talk? Yeah, here on the phone is fine... Wha- no i don't want to be a bother...are you sure? I'm outside... Ok, see you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave KUDOS and COMMENTS... I love reading them but i may not respond quickly so i apologize in advance. 
> 
> This chapter was iffy imo... 
> 
> Anyway, this was typed in my phone with 0% edit. Haha 
> 
> Excelsior!


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